UAAG/508 comparison

I had an action item to compare UAAG 1.0 with Section 508.

My evaluation indicates that, for our purposes, UAAG 1.0 is a superset 
of the Section 508 section on software accessibility (1194.21). I have 
listed those UAAG 1.0 checkpoints that I considered to be relevant, with 
priority marked, and which 508 line items match or are similar to it. 
Note that all of UAAG is not relevant to us, but a large portion of 
these checkpoints are reusable.

Most important, in my opinion UAAG 1.0 is a more technically-complete 
description of what is to be done than what is found in 508, even when 
the Accessibility Forum's Quick Reference Guide document[1], which 
specifies purchasing standards based on 508, is taken into account.

1.1 Full keyboard access (P1)
* matches 1194.21(a)
1.3 Provide text messages (P1)
* matches 1194.21(d) and 1194.21(f)
* similar to 1194.21(e)

3.3 Toggle animated or blinking text (P1)
* similar to 1194.21(k)

7.1 Respect focus and selection conventions (P1)
7.2 Respect input configuration conventions (P1)
7.3 Respect operating environment conventions (P2)
7.4 Provide input configuration indications (P2)
* all of Guideline 7 is similar to 1194.21(b)

8.1 Implement accessibility features (P1)
8.2 Conform to specifications (P2)

9.1 Provide content focus (P1)
9.2 Provide user interface focus (P1)
9.3 Move content focus (P1)
9.4 Restore viewport state history (P1)
9.5 No events on focus change (P2)
* these five are similar to 1194.21(c)

9.6 Show event handlers (P2)
9.7 Move content focus in reverse (P2)
9.8 Provide text search (P2)
9.9 Allow structured navigation (P2)
9.10 Configure important elements (P3)
* the rest of Guideline 9 is similar to 1194.21(d)

10.2 Highlight selection, content focus, enabled elements, visited links 
(P1)
* matches 1194.21(i)

11.1 Current user input configuration (P1)
* matches 1194.21(g)
11.2 Current author input configuration (P2)
11.5 Default input configuration (P2)
11.6 User profiles (P2)
11.7 Tool bar configuration (P3)

In addition, Guideline 4 ("Ensure user control of rendering") is a 
substantially more detailed coverage of 1194.21(h).

1194.21(j) is not covered:
(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, 
a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast 
levels shall be provided.

1194.21(l) mentions accessibility of form controls, which is not 
explicitly mentioned in UAAG 1.0, but is covered in detail in Guideline 6.

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m

[1] http://www.accessibilityforum.org/paper_tool.html

Received on Monday, 28 February 2005 19:57:25 UTC