Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview
Page Contents
Quick links: ATAG 1.0, ATAG 2.0 Working Draft
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
Authoring tools are software and services that people use to produce Web pages and Web content. Types of authoring tools are listed below under "Who ATAG is for".
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) documents define how authoring tools should help Web developers produce Web content that is accessible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The ATAG documents also explain how to make authoring tools accessible so that people with disabilities can use the tools.
ATAG is part of a series of accessibility guidelines, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG WG) and the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG). Essential Components of Web Accessibility explains the relationship between the different guidelines.
Who ATAG is for
ATAG is primarily for developers of authoring tools, including:
- Editing tools specifically designed to produce Web content, for example, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) HTML and XML editors
- Tools that offer the option of saving content in a Web format, for example, word processors or desktop publishing packages
- Tools that transform documents into Web formats, for example, filters to transform desktop publishing formats to HTML
- Tools that produce multimedia, especially where it is intended for use on the Web, for example, video production and editing suites, SMIL authoring packages
- Tools for site management or site publication, including content managements systems (CMS), tools that automatically generate Web sites dynamically from a database, on-the-fly conversion tools, and Web site publishing tools
- Tools for management of layout, for example, CSS formatting tools
- Web sites that let users add content, such as blogs, wikis, photo sharing sites, and social networking sites
ATAG and supporting resources are also intended to meet the needs of many different audiences, including policy makers, managers, and others. For example:
- People who want to choose authoring tools that are accessible and that produce accessible content can use ATAG to evaluate authoring tools
- People who want to encourage their existing authoring tool developer to improve accessibility in future versions can refer the authoring tool vendor to ATAG
What is in ATAG 1.0
ATAG 1.0 contains 28 checkpoints that provide guidance on:
- Producing accessible output (that is, Web pages) that meets standards and guidelines
- Prompting the content author (that is, the authoring tool user) for accessibility-related information
- Providing ways of checking and correcting inaccessible content
- Integrating accessibility in the overall "look and feel," help, and documentation
- Making the authoring tool itself accessible to people with disabilities
Technical document format
ATAG 1.0, the techniques documents, and the checklist follow the W3C format for technical specifications which includes several sections at the beginning: links to different versions, editors, copyright, abstract, and status with the link to errata and the email address for comments. Most WAI specifications have a link at the top to the Table of Contents.
ATAG Versions: 1.0 and 2.0
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 was approved in February 2000 and is the stable and referenceable version.
ATAG 2.0 is being developed to be compatible with WCAG 2.0, which was completed in December 2008, and WCAG 1.0, which was completed in May 1999. WAI anticipates ATAG 2.0 will be completed in 2009. Because of the nature of the W3C development process, WAI cannot be certain when the final version of ATAG 2.0 will be available. ATAG 1.0 will remain the latest approved version until version 2.0 is complete.
Who develops ATAG
ATAG technical documents are developed by the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG), which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). For more information about the working group, see the AUWG page.
How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute describes formal periods for public review. Opportunities for review and comment of WAI documents are announced on the WAI home page and WAI Interest Group mailing list. An email address for sending comments is included in the "Status of this Document" section.
Opportunities for contributing to ATAG and other WAI work are introduced in Participating in WAI.