How to Satisfy ATAG Guideline 3

1. General Notes:

Basic Prompting refers to those methods that passively inform the author and allow the author to enter text.

Advanced prompting refers to those methods that utilize automation in the process of informing, guiding and correcting the author.

Reference:

• WCAG 3.1 (Convey information with markup rather than images)
• WCAG 2.1 (Ensure information is not conveyed solely by color)

2. Guideline 3 Checkpoints:

3.1 Prompt the author to provide equivalent alternative information (e.g., captions, auditory descriptions, and collated text transcripts for video). [Relative Priority]
Note: Some checkpoints in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10] may not apply.

3.2 Help the author create structured content and separate information from its presentation. [Relative Priority]
Note: Some checkpoints in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10] may not apply.

3.3 Ensure that prepackaged content conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Relative Priority]
For example, include captions, an auditory description, and a collated text transcript with prepackaged movies. Refer also to checkpoint 3.4.

3.4 Do not automatically generate equivalent alternatives. Do not reuse previously authored alternatives without author confirmation, except when the function is known with certainty. [Priority 1]
For example, prompt the author for a text equivalent of an image. If the author has already provided a text equivalent for the same image used in another document, offer to reuse that text and prompt the author for confirmation. If the tool automatically generates a "Search" icon, it would be appropriate to automatically reuse the previously authored text equivalent for that icon. Refer also to checkpoint 3.3 and checkpoint 3.5.

Note: Human-authored equivalent alternatives may be available for an object (for example, through checkpoint 3.5 and/or checkpoint 3.3). It is appropriate for the tool to offer these to the author as defaults.

3.5 Provide functionality for managing, editing, and reusing alternative equivalents for multimedia objects. [Priority 3]
Note: These alternative equivalents may be packaged with the tool, written by the author, retrieved from the Web, etc.

3. Categories of Equivalent Alternative Information:

• Short Descriptive Text
• Short Functional Text
• Longer Descriptive Text
• Transcripts
• Auditory Descriptions
• Redundant Text Links
• Metadata
• Alternate Page

4. SHORT DESCRIPTIVE TEXT:

Relevant to:

• HTML (ex. alt for img, body text for object, caption for table, etc.)
• SVG (ex. title for g group)
• SMIL (ex. alt for image)

Reference:

• WCAG 1.1 (text equivalents) [Priority 1]

Prompting:

Basic:

• The tool may prompt the author to enter a short (10 word or less) description whenever an element that requires one is added or edited.
• Emphasize that the description alone should provide reader with sufficient information to make sense of the image.
• Provide a link to several high quality described objects in the help (ATAG Checkpoint 6.1).

  Example #1: TBA

  Example #2: TBA

Advanced:

• The object name is not necessarily a good indication of its content and so should not be used as a default text in the prompting field (ATAG Checkpoint 3.4).
• However, if the tool stores previous descriptive text-object associations (including developer authored text for clip art) these can be placed as default in the prompt field (ATAG Checpoint 3.5).
• In cases where the function of an object is known with certainty (ex. navigation bar), the short descriptive text can copied without requiring author intervaention.

Sample Implementations:

Current (Amaya):

When Amaya adds an image, the ALT text attribute is clearly visible. If ALT text is not included, Amaya displays a warning message stating that "Attribute ALT is mandatory".

Future (based on A-Prompt):

In the future case, an alt-text registry could suggest text that had previously been authored for that image.  The author can pick the appropriate alt-text or add a new one on the left side of the dialog.  Guidelines for writing the text also appear.   The image itself is displayed on the right side of the dialog to make the definition writing process more efficient.  The dialog box would probably be displayed as soon as the author selects the image file.

SHORT FUNCTIONAL TEXT:

Reference:

• WCAG 1.1 (text equivalents) [Priority 1]

Relevant to:

• HTML (ex. alt for img serving as a button, alt for area, alt for button, body text for object serving as a button, etc.)

Prompting:

• The tool may prompt the author to enter a short (10 word or less) description that emphasizes its FUNCTION (rather than the appearance) whenever an element that requires one is added or edited.
• Emphasize that the functional description alone should provide reader with sufficient information about the destination
• Provide a link to a number of well described linked-objects in the help (ATAG Checkpoint 6.1). [our example here]
• The link destination path is not necessarily a good indication of its content and so should not be used as a default text in the prompting field (ATAG Checkpoint 3.4). If the tool stores previous functional text-object associations these can be placed as default in the prompt field

Basic:

Advancd:

Sample Implementation:

Future (Based on A-Prompt)

In the future case, the alt-text registry could suggest text that had previously been authored for that image.  Here, the functional alt-text is not suggested because the tool has detected that the image is placed within an anchor linked.

LONGER DESCRIPTIVE TEXT:

Reference:

• WCAG 1.1 (text equivalents) [Priority 1]

Relevant to:

• HTML (ex. longdesc for img, longdesc for frame, etc.)
• SVG (ex. desc for g group)
• SMIL (ex. longdesc for image)

Prompting:

Sample Implementation:

Current (Amaya)

Amaya allows the author to enter a longdesc file name.

Future (Based on A-Prompt)

A future implementation could save multiple descriptions for the same file (different languages, etc.) and offer them back in the same was as alt-text was above. Once again the image is displayed on the right side to facilitate accurate description writing.

TRANSCRIPTS:

Reference:

• WCAG 1.1 (text equivalents) [Priority 1]

Relevant to:

• HTML (ex. Text transcript for audio object, Collated text transcript for video)
• SMIL (ex. textstream for video)

Prompting:

Sample Implementation:

Future (Based on A-Prompt)

A future implementation could support the user in the creation of transcript files for audio or video files. In the audio case, an audio player with a looping function is included on the right side to allow the author to hear the file being transcribed. On the left side, the author enters the description. Formatting buttons help the author add spoken phrases, music, and sound effect descriptions.

AUDITORY DESCRIPTIONS:

Reference:

• WCAG 1.3 (auditory descriptions)
• WCAG 1.4 (synchronization)

Relevant to:

• HTML (ex. )

Prompting:

Sample Implementation:

Future (Based on A-Prompt)

A future implementation could support the user in the creation of auditory descriptions for video files. On the right side, a video player with a looping function allows the author to see the file being transcribed. On the left side, the author uses an audio player (and microphone) to enter the description.

REDUNDANT TEXT LINKS

Reference:

• WCAG 1.2 (redundant text links for server side image maps) [Priority 1]
• WCAG 1.5 (redundant text links for client-side image maps) [Priority 3]

Relevant to:

• HTML (AREA element)

Prompting:

Sample Implementation:

Future (Based on A-Prompt)

A future implementation could support the user in the creation of redundant text links for image map areas. On the right side, the image map is displayed along with the current area. On the left side, the author can enter text for the link (the default is the area's alt-text) and a preview area below shows how the preview will appear when complete.

METADATA [ed. do we want this?]

Reference:

• WCAG 13.2 (metadata)

Relevant to:

• HTML, PNG, JPEG, GIF, and SVG

Prompting:

ALTERNATE PAGE [ed. do we want this?]

Reference:

• WCAG 6.2, 6.3 (equivalents for scripts, applets, etc.)
• WCAG 6.5 (dynamic content)
• WCAG 11.4 (alternate pages)

Relevant to:

• HTML

Prompting: