- From: Amy van der Hiel <amy@w3.org>
- Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2018 09:52:53 -0400
- To: w3c-news@w3.org
- Cc: Amy van der Hiel <amy@w3.org>, W3C PR <w3t-pr@w3.org>
Dear Media, Analysts and Friends of W3C,
Today W3C is pleased to announces a significant update to the internationally-recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines which addresses accessibility of web content, websites and web applications on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 expands upon guidance developed by W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) over the years, and used widely around the world to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.
Following these guidelines will make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including accommodations for blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these, and some accommodation for learning disabilities and cognitive limitations; but will not address every user need for people with these disabilities. Following these guidelines will also often make web content more usable to users in general.
For more information, please see the press release here (and text version below).
Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to learn more about WCAG 2.1 and Web Accessibility or to schedule an interview.
best,
Amy van der HIel
W3C Media Relations Coordinator
[1]W3C
[1] https://www.w3.org/
W3C Issues Improved Accessibility Guidance for Websites and Applications
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 expands provisions for
mobile, low vision, and cognitive and learning disabilities;
international uptake in progress
__________________________________________________________
Read [2]testimonials about WCAG 2.1
[3]W3C Press Release Archive
__________________________________________________________
[3] https://www.w3.org/Press/
[4]WCAG 2.1
__________________________________________________________
[4] https://www.w3.org/WAI/images/WCAG21/small-1024x512@1x.png
[5]https://www.w3.org/ — 05 June 2018 — Today W3C announces a
significant update to W3C's internationally-recognized [6]Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines which addresses accessibility
of web content, websites and web applications on desktops,
laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. [7]Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 expands upon guidance
developed by W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) over the
years, and is used widely around the world to make web content
more accessible to people with disabilities.
[5] https://www.w3.org/
[6] https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
[7] https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
"Developed through W3C's consensus process and WAI's strong
multi-stakeholder engagement, Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 helps Web designers and developers better
meet the needs of users with disabilities and older users. The
Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG) addressed new
requirements towards a goal of coordinated international uptake
and standards harmonization." -- Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO
Enables Website Developers to Reach a Broader Audience
WCAG 2.1 expands existing coverage of mobile accessibility, and
adds more provisions in the areas of low vision, and cognitive
and learning disabilities.
"WCAG 2.1 improves support for interactions using touch,
including guidance for complex gestures and for avoiding
unintended activation of a touch interface. For low vision,
WCAG 2.1 extends contrast requirements to graphics and
introduces new requirements for text and layout customization
to support better visual perception of content. And for
cognitive, language, and learning disabilities, WCAG 2.1
includes requirements to provide information about the specific
purpose of input controls and to support timeouts due to
inactivity; both to help users better understand web content
and how to successfully interact with it." -- Andrew
Kirkpatrick, Head of Accessibility, Adobe
As with WCAG 2.0, following these guidelines will make content
more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities,
including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss,
limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and
learning disabilities and cognitive limitations. Following
these guidelines can also make websites more usable for all
users.
Continues Evolution of W3C WAI's Authoritative and Testable
Accessibility Guidance
WCAG 2.1 updates WCAG 2.0 and expands W3C's accessibility
guidance, while maintaining W3C's standard of implementable,
technology neutral, objectively testable and universally
applicable accessibility guidance. All new provisions have been
tested in implementations across different types of websites
and web content. The Working Group has taken care to maintain
backwards compatibility with the internationally-recognized
WCAG 2.0, in that Websites that conform to WCAG 2.1 will also
conform to WCAG 2.0, which remains a W3C Recommendation.
WCAG 2.0 was designed as a highly stable, technology-agnostic
standard, and has been kept relevant through updates to
informative supporting resources. As with WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1 is
supported by an extensive library of implementation techniques
and educational materials, including Understanding WCAG 2.1 and
Techniques for WCAG 2.1, which have been redesigned and moved
to a different format to allow WAI to continue to update these
on an ongoing basis.
Wide Support for this Advance; Expected International Uptake
WCAG 2.1 has received wide support from industry, including
accessibility-focused businesses, the disability community,
research, education and government, as shown in the
accompanying testimonials.
In addition, W3C is coordinating with national and
international regions updating their standards and policies,
including the current update of the European Norm (EN) 301 549,
which has been undergoing its own independent review process.
"W3C encourages organizations and individuals to use WCAG 2.1
in web content and applications, and to consider WCAG 2.1 when
updating or developing new policies, in order to better address
the needs of more web and mobile users with disabilities.
Additionally, we welcome continued engagement from the
international community as we develop future accessibility
guidelines."-- Judy Brewer, WAI Director
WCAG 2.1 is part of W3C WAI's stably evolving well regarded
accessibility guidance, which also includes the [8]Authoring
Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0, and the[9] User Agent
Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0. These guidelines, as well
as an extensive library of supporting materials for WCAG 2.0
and WCAG 2.1 are available at [10]www.w3.org/WAI/ .
[8] https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/atag
[9] https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/uaag
[10] https://www.w3.org/WAI/
About the World Wide Web Consortium
The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to lead
the Web to its full potential by creating technical standards
and guidelines to ensure that the Web remains open, accessible,
and interoperable for everyone around the globe. W3C develops
well known specifications such as HTML5, CSS, and the Open Web
Platform as well as work on security and privacy, all created
in the open and provided for free and under the unique W3C
Patent Policy. For its work to make online videos more
accessible with captions and subtitles, W3C received a 2016
Emmy Award.
W3C's vision for "One Web" brings together thousands of
dedicated technologists representing more than 400 [11]Member
organizations and dozens of industry sectors. W3C is jointly
hosted by the [12]MIT Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the United States, the
[13]European Research Consortium for Informatics and
Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, [14]Keio
University in Japan and [15]Beihang University in China. For
more information see [16]https://www.w3.org/.
[11] https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
[12] https://www.csail.mit.edu/
[13] https://www.ercim.eu/
[14] https://www.keio.ac.jp/
[15] http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/
[16] https://www.w3.org/
About the Web Accessibility Initiative
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a coordinated program
of accessibility-related work, within the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C), that works with organizations around the
world to make the Web more accessible for people with
disabilities and older users. Accessibility work at W3C
includes ensuring that Web technologies support accessibility;
developing accessibility guidelines; developing resources to
support improved evaluation tools; developing resources for
education and outreach; coordinating with research and
development efforts that can affect future accessibility of the
Web; and promoting harmonization of international Web
accessibility standards. WAI is supported in part by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Service's National Institute on
Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
(NIDILRR), the European Commission's Information Society
Technologies Programme, Bocoup, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. For
more information see [17]http://www.w3.org/WAI/
[17] http://www.w3.org/WAI/
End Press Release
Media Contact
Amy van der Hiel, W3C Media Relations Coordinator
<[18]w3t-pr@w3.org>
mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org
+1.617.253.5628 (US, Eastern Time)
__________________________________________________________
Testimonials about WCAG 2.1
[19]Access Board • [20]Accessibility Foundation • [21]Adobe •
[22]Alfasado• [23]AMAC Accessibility at Georgia Tech •
[24]Benetech • [25]Beyondsoft • [26]China Mobile• [27]Consensus
Systems LLC • [28]European Disability Forum • [29]G3ict –
Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs • [30]Interactive
Accessibility • [31]Intopia • [32]Knowbility • [33]Mitsue-Links
Co. Ltd. • [34]The Paciello Group • [35]UK Government •
[36]VitalSource • [37]Wiley • [38]Zhejiang University
Access Board
The Access Board applauds progress made by the W3C
Accessibility Guidelines Working Group in their release of
the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
Recommendation, and looks forward to the finalized
guidelines. The Working Group’s efforts to broaden the range
of disability needs currently addressed by WCAG 2.0 will
benefit many individuals who still encounter barriers to
accessing the web
David M. Capozzi, Executive Director
Accessibility Foundation
WCAG2.1 is a vital set of guidelines for web accessibility
that strongly supports innovative solutions for web and
mobile applications. We are particularly happy with the
addition of provisions for people with low vision and
cognitive and learning disabilities. One of the tasks of the
Accessibility Foundation is monitoring the accessibility of
websites and mobile applications of public and private
sector organizations. For them, WCAG2.1 supports both
innovation and European legislation and standards (EN
301-549). We will continue to support EOWG in the update and
drafting of related documents and tools like the WCAG-EM
report tool and accessibility statements.
Eric Velleman, Scientific Director
Adobe
Adobe congratulates the World Wide Web Consortium on the
release of WCAG 2.1 and is proud to be a contributor to this
important and needed update to WCAG 2.0. This update offers
improved support for people with disabilities and provides a
clear signal from the W3C and W3C member companies that
accessibility standards need to keep up with advances in
technology. The crucial backward-compatibility of WCAG 2.1
will help ensure that accessibility standards can evolve to
keep up with technology without sacrificing the standards
harmonization that is so important to successful
implementation of accessibility on a global scale. WCAG 2.1
will be part of Adobe’s development strategy moving forward
to help us create solutions that benefit everyone.
Kumar Vora, VP & GM, Cloud Platform and Experiences
Alfasado
アルファサード(株)は、W3CのWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.1の勧告を歓迎します。私達は新WCAG2.1が、Webの本質である普遍性(universality)と、障害の有無に
関わらずあらゆる人がアクセスできる世界の
実現を加速することを確信します。アルファサードは、制作・運用中のWebサイトやWebアプリケーションを新WCAG2.1に
対応を進め、自社開発・提 供のWCAG 2.0対応試験ツールを新WCAG2.1へ対応させてゆくことを表明します。
アルファサード株式会社 代表取締役 野田 純生
AMAC Accessibility at Georgia Tech
AMAC Accessibility is excited about the improved updates
within WCAG 2.1. Unrestricted access to digital content for
people with disabilities represents everything we at AMAC
Accessibility strive toward, both for our customers with
disabilities, along with our various shareholders and
agencies we serve across the globe. WCAG 2.1 assists us in
supporting and reinforcing that commitment. Also, as someone
who is legally blind, and benefits directly from the
improvements in WCAG 2.1 for people with low vision, I am
personally grateful for the guidance and leadership of
W3C-WAI in shepherding this important process, and bringing
it to fruition in such short order.
John Rempel, QA Accessibility Analyst
Benetech
Benetech is excited that low-vision and cognitive disability
success criteria have been added to the WCAG 2.1
specification. These additions offer opportunities for
greater inclusion and better support for students with
disabilities and learning differences.
Charles LaPierre, Technical Lead, DIAGRAM Center and Born
Accessible
Beyondsoft
博彦科技
博彦科技：十年磨一剑，翘首以盼的WCAG 2.1终于发布了。WCAG
2.1版本不仅覆盖了web网页更多的展示形式，还顺应时代的要求，极大增加了移动端可访问性；同时制定了更多详细规则，进一步
保障视力、认知和学习障碍等人士平等、便利 的获取信息。博彦科技正在积极给本公司的产品实现WCAG
2.1，为残障人士提供更好的服务。
博彦集智科技副总裁 韩洁
China Mobile
中国移动
WCAG
是一项有着重要实用价值和深远社会意义的成果，这项工作让广大残障人士更加容易访问Web内容，让人人享有平等获取信息服务的权
利。我们也将学习
WCAG成果，结合人工智能、5G、高清多媒体通信等技术，与产业链共同推进无障碍通信技术的研究和应用，为人人平等享有智能通
信服务的权利而努力。
程宝平 中国移动杭州研发中心融合通信系统部负责人
Consensus Systems LLC
The W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines have been one
of the great success stories of the Open Web. The Web is
accessible to people of various abilities due to the hard
work of the W3C and WCAG 2.1 continues this important work.
ConsenSys is pleased to support a fully accessible Web for
all.
Dr. David Hyland-Wood, Blockchain Protocol Architect
European Disability Forum
Technologies constantly evolve and converge in the web.
Therefore, the accessibility standards must also progress in
parallel, so persons with disabilities are not left behind
and can access all digital services on an equal basis with
others as required by the UN CRPD. This was the objective of
the advocacy campaign of the European disability movement
towards the adoption of the 2016 EU Directive on the
accessibility of websites and mobile apps of public sector
bodies. We are proud to say that this will be the first
legislation in the world that will be underpinned by WCAG
2.1 and that 80 million Europeans with disabilities will
benefit from the most up-to-date web accessibility
standards.
Yannis Vardakastanis, President
G3ict – Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs
The release of WCAG 2.1 is of great value to the 177
countries parties to the United Nations' Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities seeking to implement its
accessiblity provisions. Thanks to W3C’s effective consensus
building processes among multiple stakeholders, the Web
Content Accessiblity Guidelines are well recognized as the
global standard for web accessiblity which most governments
and user organizations refer to. Having them updated will
greatly facilitate the work of governments, advocacy
organizations and user organizations promoting accessiblity.
WCAG 2.1, by incorporating recent technology innovation and
global usage patterns will definitely further reinforce
their universal adoption.
Axel Leblois, President and Executive Director
Interactive Accessibility
With the launch of WCAG 2.1, web content will be more
accessible to people with disabilities and the coverage is
expanded to reflect the ever-growing use of mobile
technology. Through a lot of hard work, the Working Group
met an ambitious timeline to deliver on schedule in support
of international updates, including the new EN 301-549
standards in Europe and updates to standards in China.
Interactive Accessibility is proud to have contributed to a
very important update to the W3C’s
internationally-recognized Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines.
Kathleen Wahlbin, CEO
Intopia
We welcome the release of WCAG 2.1, which will better
support the creation of an inclusive digital world. This
extension to the internationally-recognised WCAG 2.0
standard formalises what many have considered best practice
for web accessibility. It will particularly benefit users
with low vision and cognitive and learning disabilities, and
mobile accessibility. It's encouraging that many of the
organizations we work with are actively embracing the new
extension.
Sarah Pulis, Co-Founder
Knowbility
Knowbility welcomes the efforts of the W3C to update WCAG to
improve web accessibility for all. We are pleased to see the
new WCAG 2.1 success criteria extend access to areas of
disability not covered before. We acknowledge the efforts of
all contributors to research and develop these new success
criteria.
Sharron Rush (Executive Director), and Katie Haritos-Shea (AC
Rep)
Mitsue-Links Co.,Ltd.
Mitsue-Links is pleased that the W3C has officially
recommended WCAG 2.1. To date, we have proactively used WCAG
2.0 as a requisite quality standard so that everyone can use
Mitsue-Links designed and developed websites/web
applications. As both web users and access devices continue
to diversify, going forward we will use WCAG 2.1.
Furthermore, we expect that WCAG 2.1 will spread the notion
that, in addition to those with disabilities and the
elderly, ensuring accessibility positively contributes to
all user experiences.
株式会社ミツエーリンクスは、WCAG
2.1がW3Cより勧告されたことを大変喜ばしく思います。WebサイトやWebアプリケーションを誰もが利用できるよう制作す
るうえで必要不可欠な品質基準のひとつとし て、これまで当社はWCAG
2.0に則ったWebサイトの構築・運用に積極的に取り組んできました。より多様なユーザーが、より多様なデバイスを使ってWe
bを利用するようになった現状を踏まえ、今 後はWCAG
2.1に則る予定です。また、アクセシビリティの確保が障害者や高齢者に限らず、あらゆるユーザーのユーザー体験に資するものと
の理解が、WCAG 2.1の勧告によって社会に広く浸透することを強く期待します
Kazuhito Kidachi, Director and CTO
木達一仁，取締役 兼 CTO，株式会社ミツエーリンクス
The Paciello Group
WCAG2.1 is an important step towards better accessibility
for content on the modern web platform. The Paciello Group
is pleased to have contributed to the new WCAG2.1 Success
Criteria, and to have incorporated them into our products
and services so we are ready to help our clients around the
world create even more inclusive user interfaces.
Léonie Watson Director of Developer Communications
UK Government
As a government that strives to ensure that its websites and
services are accessible to all users, including people with
disabilities, we fully support the updates to the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines. We welcome the new Success
Criteria as they will help make websites and mobile apps
accessible to more people and will help designers and
developers avoid common barriers that can prevent people
from successfully using them.
Alistair Duggin, Head of Accessibility, Government Digital
Service
VitalSource
VitalSource, and all of our more than 25 million users, are
excited about the release of WCAG 2.1. For more than a
decade, our commitment to 'no compromise' accessibility has
been welcomed by both our publishing partners, and the users
of our platform. With its focus on mobile accessibility,
WCAG 2.1 will provide improved benefits to the majority of
our users who are on mobile platforms, and we look forward
to releasing conformant updates later this year.
Rick Johnson, Vice President of Product Strategy at
VitalSource
Wiley
The WCAG standards should be the cornerstone to any
accessibility work. At Wiley, the WCAG standards are being
built into the framework of our workflows and processes, so
that content is born accessible. With WCAG 2.1, new
standards help us create more versatile mobile content, as
well as build improvements for users with low vision and
cognitive disabilities. Here at Wiley we are extremely
excited for the 2.1 release to further guide us in the
journey to creating content and tools to help anyone—and
everyone—learn and achieve their goals.
Laura Albert, Accessibility Specialist, Content Management
Services
Zhejiang University
浙江大学
WCAG作为最早引入中国的互联网内容无障碍标准，自2008年以来一直对我国信息无障碍内容标准的制定与应用推广有着深
远的影响。本次发布的WCAG
2.1考虑了现阶段新技术的发展趋势与用户的客观需求。浙江大学在参与该标准制定工作的同时，也将把WCAG
2.1标准的部分内容与新制定的国家标准有机融合，以适应中国互联网的发展需求。
浙江大学软件学院常务副院长 卜佳俊教授
__________________________________________________________
[39]W3C Press Release Archive
[39] https://www.w3.org/Press/
Received on Tuesday, 5 June 2018 13:53:01 UTC