Web Accessibility Assessment Methodology

Table of Contents

The purpose of this assessment methodology is to assist with measuring conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A and Level AA Success Criteria.

The following are required for a Web page to satisfy a WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion:

  1. Web page successfully avoids each common failure of the Success Criterion.
  2. Web page successfully implements sufficient techniques or combinations of sufficient techniques for the Success Criterion that are:
    1. Specific to each applicable situation; and
    2. Specific to each technology that is relied upon to satisfy the Success Criterion (except where only general techniques are documented)

WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria Checklist
(12 Guidelines, 38 Success Criteria)

Principle: Perceivable

Guideline 1.1 Text Alternatives: Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.

  1. 1.1.1 Non-text content (Level A)

Guideline 1.2 Time-based Media: Provide alternatives for time-based media.

  1. 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (Level A)
  2. 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (Level A)
  3. 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) (Level A)
  4. 1.2.4 Captions (Live) (Level AA)
  5. 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (Level AA)

Guideline 1.3 Adaptable: Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure.

  1. 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)
  2. 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A)
  3. 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics (Level A)

Guideline 1.4 Distinguishable: Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.

  1. 1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A)
  2. 1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A)
  3. 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA)
  4. 1.4.4 Resize text (Level AA)
  5. 1.4.5 Images of Text (Level AA)

Principle: Operable

Guideline 2.1 Keyboard Accessible: Make all functionality available from a keyboard.

  1. 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A)
  2. 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap (Level A)

Guideline 2.2 Enough Time: Provide users enough time to read and use content.

  1. 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Level A)
  2. 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A)

Guideline 2.3 Seizures: Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures.

  1. 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold (Level A)

Guideline 2.4 Navigable: Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.

  1. 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A)
  2. 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A)
  3. 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A)
  4. 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A)
  5. 2.4.5 Multiple ways (Level AA)
  6. 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
  7. 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA)

Principle: Understandable

Guideline 3.1 Readable: Make text content readable and understandable.

  1. 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A)
  2. 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA)

Guideline 3.2 Predictable: Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.

  1. 3.2.1 On Focus (Level A)
  2. 3.2.2 On Input (Level A)
  3. 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation (Level AA)
  4. 3.2.4 Consistent Identification (Level AA)

Guideline 3.3 Input Assistance: Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

  1. 3.3.1 Error Identification (Level A)
  2. 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A)
  3. 3.3.3 Error Suggestion (Level AA)
  4. 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) (Level AA)

Principle: Robust

Guideline 4.1 Compatible: Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.

  1. 4.1.1 Parsing (Level A)
  2. 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A)

Summary

Level A Success Criteria passed /25 (%)
Level AA Success Criteria passed /13 (%)
Total Success Criteria passed /38 (%)
Success Criteria evaluated /38 (%)
Success Criteria N/A /38 (%)

Note: The number of Success Criteria passed is the total number of PASS and N/A.

Glossary

Relied upon (technologies that are)

The content would not conform if that technology is turned off or is not supported. (Source: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Appendix A: Glossary, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#reliedupondef)

Success Criteria

For each guideline, testable success criteria are provided to allow WCAG 2.0 to be used where requirements and conformance testing are necessary such as in design specification, purchasing, regulation, and contractual agreements. In order to meet the needs of different groups and different situations, three levels of conformance are defined: A (lowest), AA, and AAA (highest). Additional information on WCAG levels can be found in Understanding Levels of Conformance. (Source: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, WCAG 2.0 Layers of Guidance, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#intro-layers-guidance)

Sufficient and Advisory Techniques

For each of the guidelines and success criteria in the WCAG 2.0 document itself, the working group has also documented a wide variety of techniques. The techniques are informative and fall into two categories: those that are sufficient for meeting the success criteria and those that are advisory. The advisory techniques go beyond what is required by the individual success criteria and allow authors to better address the guidelines. Some advisory techniques address accessibility barriers that are not covered by the testable success criteria. Where common failures are known, these are also documented. See also Sufficient and Advisory Techniques in Understanding WCAG 2.0. (Source: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, WCAG 2.0 Layers of Guidance, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#intro-layers-guidance)

Technology (Web content)

Mechanism for encoding instructions to be rendered, played or executed by user agents

Note 1: As used in these guidelines "Web Technology" and the word "technology" (when used alone) both refer to Web Content Technologies.

Note 2: Web content technologies may include markup languages, data formats, or programming languages that authors may use alone or in combination to create end-user experiences that range from static Web pages to synchronized media presentations to dynamic Web applications.

Example: Some common examples of Web content technologies include HTML, CSS, SVG, PNG, PDF, Flash, and JavaScript.

(Source: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Appendix A: Glossary, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#technologydef))

Web page

A non-embedded resource obtained from a single URI using HTTP plus any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent

Note 1: Although any "other resources" would be rendered together with the primary resource, they would not necessarily be rendered simultaneously with each other.

Note 2: For the purposes of conformance with these guidelines, a resource must be "non-embedded" within the scope of conformance to be considered a Web page.

Example 1: A Web resource including all embedded images and media.

Example 2: A Web mail program built using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). The program lives entirely at http://example.com/mail, but includes an inbox, a contacts area and a calendar. Links or buttons are provided that cause the inbox, contacts, or calendar to display, but do not change the URI of the page as a whole.

Example 3: A customizable portal site, where users can choose content to display from a set of different content modules.

Example 4: When you enter "http://shopping.example.com/" in your browser, you enter a movie-like interactive shopping environment where you visually move around in a store dragging products off of the shelves around you and into a visual shopping cart in front of you. Clicking on a product causes it to be demonstrated with a specification sheet floating alongside. This might be a single-page website or just one page within a website.

(Source: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Appendix A: Glossary, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#webpagedef)