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Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)�Going Above and Beyond Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Presenter: Helen Burge

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Agenda

History
Audience
Where to start?
Quick Checklist
Part A: Make the authoring tool user interface accessible
Part B: Support the production of accessible content
Summary

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History

Published in 2015
Part of a series of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)

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Image by Michael Duffy, from: Essential Components of Web Accessibility. S.L. Henry, ed. Copyright W3C ® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio, Beihang). w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/components/

Web developers usually use authoring tools and evaluation tools to create web content.
People (“users”) use web browsers, media players, assistive technologies, or other “user agents” to get and interact with the content.

Interdependencies Between Components
There are significant interdependencies between the components; that is, the components must work together in order for the web to be accessible. For example, for alternative text on images:
technical specifications address alternative text (for example, HTML defines the alternative text attribute (alt) of the image element (img))
WAI guidelines - define how to implement alternative text for accessibility in the different components
developers provide the appropriate alternative text wording
authoring tools enable, facilitate, and promote providing alternative text in a web page
evaluation tools are used to help check that alternative text exists
user agents provide human and machine interface to the alternative text
assistive technologies provide human interface to the alternative text in various modalities
users know how to get the alternative text from their user agent and/or assistive technology as needed

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Audience

Designed for users that create content for the web
Used with WCAG (if the authoring tool is web based)
Split into 2 parts:

Part A is the tool accessible?
Part B does the tool let you create accessible content?

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Where to Start?

Do you author content?
Are you using plugins?
Are you in charge of selecting the plugins?
Do you test them to check they allow you to add accessible content?
Do you believe the ones that claim to do the work for you?

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Quick Checklist

Is there an accessibility checker?
What guidance is available?
Can I add alternative text to an image?
Are links styled using more than color alone?
Can the keyboard focus all actionable items?
If I copy accessible content in, does the accessibility items get copied too?

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Part A: Make the authoring tool user interface accessible

A1: The authoring tool user interface follows applicable accessibility guidelines
A2: Editing-views are perceivable
A3: Editing-views are operable
A4: Editing-views are understandable

Helpful link: ATAG at a Glance

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Part A is about is the authoring tool accessible to use, and important to those that use assistive technology or people like me that can be slow without a coffee

A1 The authoring tool user interface follows applicable accessibility guidelines
Ensure that web-based functionality is accessible
Ensure that non-web-based functionality is accessible
A2 Editing-views are perceivable
Make alternative content available to authors
Ensure that editing-view presentation can be [programmatically determined]
A3 Editing-views are operable
Provide keyboard access to authoring features
Provide authors with enough time
Help authors avoid flashing content that could cause seizures
Enhance navigation and editing via content structure
Provide text search of the content
Allow users to manage preference settings
Ensure that previews are at least as accessible as user agents
A4 Editing-views are understandable
Help authors avoid and correct mistakes
Document the user interface, including all accessibility features

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Part B: Support the production of accessible content

B1: Fully automatic processes produce accessible content
B2: Authors are supported in producing accessible content
B3: Authors are supported in improving the accessibility of existing content
B4: Authoring tools promote and integrate their accessibility features

Helpful link: ATAG at a Glance

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Authors will need to look at Part B of ATAG to choose accessible themes and plugins

B1 Fully automatic processes produce accessible content
Ensure that automatically-specified content is accessible
Ensure that accessibility information is preserved
B2 Authors are supported in producing accessible content
Ensure that accessible content production is possible
Guide authors to produce accessible content
Assist authors with managing alternative content for non-text content
Assist authors with accessible templates
Assist authors with accessible pre-authored content
B3 Authors are supported in improving the accessibility of existing content
Assist authors in checking for accessibility problems
Assist authors in repairing accessibility problems.
B4 Authoring tools promote and integrate their accessibility features
Ensure the availability of features that support the production of accessible content
Ensure that documentation promotes the production of accessible content

I will add in some good and bad examples and reemphasise that overlays are bad!

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Summary

When authoring content, you need to make it accessible
ATAG helps with working out what to focus on
Often best used before WCAG testing is done on your website as will fix issues before they affect users
If the plugins or themes do not allow you to create accessible content others are available!

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Questions?

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Thank you!

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