- From: Wendy A Chisholm <chisholm@trace.wisc.edu>
- Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 16:23:58 -0600
- To: w3c-wai-au@w3.org
Make sure pages transform gracefully across users, technologies,
and situations
By following these guidelines, you can author pages that "transform
gracefully". This means that they will be accessible despite user,
technological, or situational constraints. If your pages transform
gracefully, they will be more readily accessible to users with
blindness,
deafness, motor limitations, and other disabilities. At the same
time,
users limited by technological barriers such as an old browsers,
small
screen, low-bandwidth Internet connection, handheld device, etc.
will be
able to use them. Users who are driving or involved in other
activities
where their hands, eyes, or ears are busy will also be able to use
your
pages.
Here are some general tips on how to author pages that transform
gracefully:
1. Always separate the content on your site (what you say),
and the
way you choose to structure that content (how you organize
it), from
the way the content and structure are presented (visually
aurally, or
tactilely). If the content is sensory-specific, such as audio
or video,
make it available in an alternative form as well that allows
presentation for other senses.
2. Textual information is generally available to all users
and browsing devices.
3. Ensure that no part of your document may be used or perceived
with one sense only (i.e., only visually, only aurally, etc.)
This does
not mean creating an entire auditory version of your site.
Screen
readers will be able to speak all information on a page as
long as it
is available in text.
4. Ensure that no part of your document or site relies on one
type of
hardware. Pages should be usable by people without mice, with
small screens, low resolution screens, black and white
screens, no
screens, with only voice or text output, etc.
Received on Wednesday, 24 February 1999 17:27:29 UTC