Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Announcements
Follow WAI on Twitter or identi.ca
Events, Meetings, Presentations
- At ICCHP (International Conference on
Computers Helping People with Special Needs) in Vienna, Austria 13-16
July:
- "Web Accessibility Highlights - Current and Upcoming WAI Work" session with Shadi Abou-Zahra and Shawn Henry on 14 July
- "Usable Web Accessibility" keynote by Shawn Henry and panel with Shadi Abou-Zahra on 16 July
[WAI
Presentations]
[Past WAI Events]
Documents in Progress
Highlights
For Review: UAAG 2.0 and Implementing UAAG 2.0 Working Drafts
WAI has published updated Working Drafts of User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0 and the Implementing UAAG 2.0 supporting Note. UAAG defines how browsers, media players, and other "user agents" should support accessibility for people with disabilities and work with assistive technologies. WAI encourages you to review UAAG 2.0 and submit comments now, as the Working Group is preparing for Last Call. See:
- Call for Review: UAAG 2.0 and Implementing UAAG 2.0 Working Drafts e-mail
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) Overview
- How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute
Please send comments by 29 July 2010. (2010-June-17)
Reach your audience: Make your presentations accessible to all
How to Make Presentations Accessible to All helps you make presentations, talks, meetings, and training accessible to all of your potential audience, including people with disabilities and others. WAI would like to know how this resource works for you and how we can improve it. See the blog post: Make Your Presentations Accessible to All. Please send comments by 19 July 2010. (2010-June-16)
Working Together for Better Accessibility
To help and encourage developers and users working together, WAI has updated the following documents:
- Contacting Organizations about Inaccessible Websites (primarily for users)
- Involving Users
in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility (primarily
for project managers, designers, developers, editors, and others involved
in all types of web projects)
- Involving Users in Evaluating Web Accessibility (for those evaluating accessibility)
See Updated Resources Encourage Working Together for Better Accessibility e-mail for more information. (2010-April-22)
WCAG 2.0 in Italian: Authorized Translation Published
Linee guida per l'accessibilità dei contenuti Web (WCAG) 2.0, the Italian Authorized Translation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, is now available, following completion of the W3C Authorized Translations process. WAI encourages translating WAI documents in all languages. See:
- WCAG 2.0 Translations for a list of other completed and planned translations,
- WCAG 2.0 Italian Authorized Translation Published e-mail.
(2009-Dec-21)
Resources Supporting Web Accessibility Business Case - Share Yours
Resources for Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization provides a first collection of statistics, case studies, and articles that support the business case for web accessibility. We are looking for additional case studies and resources; see Share Resources Supporting the Web Accessibility Business Case blog post. (2009-Dec-14)
Want Better, Easier Accessibility? Involve Users in Your Web Projects
The new document Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility provides guidance for project managers, designers, and developers of:
- websites and web applications
- browsers, media players, and assistive technologies
- authoring tools such as content management systems (CMS), blog software, and WYSIWYG editors
- standards and policies on accessibility
- web technologies and technical specifications
Learn more about this and the related document Involving Users in Evaluating Web Accessibility in the Involving Users announcement e-mail and the blog post Discover new ways of thinking about accessibility. Watch for other documents from the WAI-AGE Project coming soon... (2009-Dec-09)
WCAG 2.0 in German: Authorized Translation Published
Richtlinien für barrierefreie Webinhalte (WCAG) 2.0, the German Authorized Translation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, is now available, following completion of the W3C Authorized Translations process. WAI encourages translating WAI documents in all languages. See:
- WCAG 2.0 Translations for a list of other completed and planned translations
- WCAG 2.0 German Authorized Translation Published e-mail
(2009-October-29)
New: Perspectives on Web Accessibility
Along with the redesigned W3C website, we have a new Accessibility page that introduces the what, why, where, and how of web accessibility. Read what it says about how the impact of disabilities can be radically changed for people using the Web when websites, web technologies, and web tools are properly designed. (2009-Oct-14)
Accessible and Mobile: WCAG-MWBP Overlap Document Published
Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is published as a W3C Working Group Note. See also:
- Web Content Accessibility and Mobile Web: Making a Web Site Accessible Both for People with Disabilities and for Mobile Devices introductory page
- Shared Web Experiences: Barriers Common to Mobile Device Users and People with Disabilities
(2009-July-09)
WCAG 2.0 in French: Authorized Translation Published
Règles pour l'accessibilité des contenus Web (WCAG) 2.0, the French Authorized Translation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, is now available, following completion of the W3C Authorized Translations process. WAI encourages translating WAI documents in all languages. See:
- WCAG 2.0 Translations for a list of other completed and planned translations
- WCAG 2.0 French Authorized Translation Published e-mail
(2009-June-26)
Business Case Updated: Impact of Older Web Users Expanded
Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization is updated to more thoroughly address the impact of Web accessibility on older users, as part of the WAI-AGE Project.Older users are an increasing market segment and an important target group for many organizations. This update also includes references to the new WCAG 2. Get more details on recent and upcoming updates from the WAI IG e-mail. (2009-June-25)
How People with Disabilities Use the Web - Draft Introduced
"How People with Disabilities Use the Web" provides detailed examples of people with different disabilities using Web sites, applications, browsers, and authoring tools. It is currently a draft, and will soon be updated to reflect current best practice. Introduction to "How People with Disabilities Use the Web" provides a stable reference that will always link to the latest version of the main document. (2009-Apr-22)
Which links to what: Referencing WCAG, ATAG, UAAG, and WAI-ARIA
Ever wonder which URI (Web address) you should use for links to WCAG or other WAI technical documents? To learn which URI to use for what, which have stable content, and which give you the latest version, see Referencing and Linking to WAI Guidelines and Technical Documents. (2009-Mar-12)
WCAG 2.0 is Finalized: W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web
On 11 December 2008 W3C announced a new standard that will help Web designers and developers create sites that better meet the needs of users with disabilities and older users. Drawing on extensive experience and community feedback, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 improves upon W3C's groundbreaking initial standard for accessible Web content, applies to more advanced technologies, and is more precisely testable. Please see additional information in:
- A New Era for Web Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 is Finalized blog post,
- W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web press release,
- WCAG Overview that links to several related resources.
(2008-Dec-11)
WAI-AGE: Addressing Accessibility Needs Due to Ageing
The WAI-AGE Project (Ageing Education and Harmonisation) focuses on education and outreach regarding the requirements of people with Web accessibility needs related to ageing. One of the WAI-AGE project deliverables is Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review, which was published on 14 March as a First Public Working Draft. WAI encourages you to review this draft and submit any comments by 4 June 2008, if possible.
See Call for Review and Participation: WAI-AGE Literature Review and Task Force for an introduction to the project and an invitation to contribute to the literature review and other WAI-AGE work. (2008-May-14)
Web Accessibility: The Fellowship of the Guidelines
Many people know about WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the responsibilities of Web developers in making the Web accessible to people with disabilities. But Web developers alone cannot make the Web accessible.
Web browsers, assistive technologies, and authoring tools also have a vital role in Web accessibility. Essential Components of Web Accessibility describes these roles along with the WAI guidelines. (2005-July-22)
See additional highlights in the Highlights Archive.
WAI home page Highlights are edited by Shawn Henry, WAI's Education and
Outreach Working Group, and other WAI Team and
Working Groups.
Sponsors
WAI is supported in part by: the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, European Commission's Information Society Technologies Programme, HP, IBM, Microsoft Corporation, SAP, Verizon Foundation, and Wells Fargo.