Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Set expectations about content in the page from uncontrolled sources
• Provide sign language interpretation for all content
• Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for the content
• Avoid centrally aligned text
• Avoid text that is fully justified (to both left and right margins) in a way that causes
  poor spacing between words or characters
• Use left-justified text for languages that are written left to right and right-justified
  text for languages that are written right-to-left
• Limit text column width
• Avoid chunks of italic text
• Avoid overuse of different styles on individual pages and in sites
• Make links visually distinct
• Use images, illustrations, video, audio, or symbols to clarify meaning
• Provide practical examples to clarify content
• Use a light pastel background rather than a white background behind black text
• Avoid the use of unique interface controls unnecessarily
• Use upper and lower case according to the spelling rules of the text language
• Avoid unusual foreign words
• Provide sign language versions of information, ideas, and processes that must be
  understood in order to use the content
• Make any reference to a location in a Web page into a link to that location
• Make references to a heading or title include the full text of the title
• Provide easy-to-read versions of basic information about a set of Web pages, including
  information about how to contact the Webmaster
• Provide a sign language version of basic information about a set of Web pages,
  including information about how to contact the Webmaster

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Identify default human language(s) using language attributes on the html element

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Specifying the default language in the HTTP header
• Use http or the Content-Language meta tag for metadata

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Identify changes in human languages using language attributes to identify changes in the human language

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Make text that is not in the default human language of the Web page visually distinct
• Give the names of any languages used in foreign passages or phrases
• Provide language markup on proper names to facilitate correct pronunciation by screen readers

How to. Mandatory techniques

• If the word or phrase has a unique meaning within the Web page

  • Provide the definition of a word or phrase used in an unusual or restricted way for the first occurrence of the word or phrase in a Web page by linking to definitions (use definition lists or the link element to link to a glossary ) or using inline definitions (use the dfn element to identify the defining instance of a word)
  • Provide the definition of a word or phrase used in an unusual or restricted way for each occurrence of the word or phrase in a Web page by linking to definitions (use definition lists or the link element to link to a glossary), providing a glossary or a function to search an online dictionary

• If the word or phrase means different things within the same Web page

  • Provide the definition of a word or phrase used in an unusual or restricted way for each occurrence of the word or phrase in a Web page by linking to definitions (use definition lists or the the link element to link to a glossary) or using inline definitions (use the dfn element to identify the defining instance of a word)

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Use markup and visual formatting to help users recognize words that have special meaning
• Provide a voice-enabled dictionary search so that users who have difficulty typing or spelling can speak the word whose definition they need
• Provide a sign language dictionary to help users who are deaf find the necessary definitions
• Provide a mechanism for finding definitions for all words in text content
• Provide a mechanism to determine the meaning of each word or phrase in text content
• Avoid unusual foreign words
• Use a series of dictionaries in cascading fashion to provide meanings

How to. Mandatory techniques

If the abbreviation has only one meaning within the Web page:

• Provide the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation for the first occurrence of the abbreviation in a Web page by providing the abbreviation immediately following the expanded form, linking to definitions or using the abbr and acronym elements
• Provide the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation for all occurrences of the abbreviation in a Web page by linking to definitions, using the link element to link to a glossary, or providing a glossary, a function to search an online dictionary or definitions for abbreviations by using the abbr and acronym elements

If the abbreviation means different things within the same Web page

• Provide the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation for all occurrences of abbreviations in a Web pagel inking to definitions or using the abbr and acronym elements

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Use unique abbreviations in a Web page
• Use visual formatting to help users recognize abbreviations
• Provide access to a talking dictionary to support users who might have difficulty decoding written definitions
• Provide a voice-enabled dictionary search so that users who have difficulty typing or spelling can speak the word whose definition they need

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Provide a text summary that requires reading ability less advanced than the upper secondary education level
• Provide visual illustrations, pictures, and symbols to help explain ideas, events, and processes
• Provide a spoken version of the text
• Make the text easier to read
• Provide sign language versions of information, ideas, and processes that must be understood in order to use the content

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Provide text for navigational and landing pages that requires reading ability that is less advanced than the lower secondary education level
• Provide text for interior pages that requires reading ability at the lower secondary education level
• Include content summaries in metadata
• Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for the content
• Use RDF to associate supplements with primary content
• Provide a clear representational image on the site’s home page
• Identify clearly which content has been optimized for easy reading
• Use sentences that contain no redundant words, that is, words that do not change the meaning of the sentence
• Use sentences that contain no more than two conjunctions
• Use sentences that are no longer than the typical accepted length for secondary education (Note: In English that is 25 words)
• Use sentences that do not contain complex words or phrases that could be replaced with more commonly used words without changing the meaning of the sentence
• Provide summaries for different sections of text
• Use metadata to associate alternatives at different reading levels.
• Use the Dublin Core accessibility element to associate text content with text, graphical, or spoken supplements
• Use the ISO AfA accessibility element to associate text content with text, graphical, or spoken supplements
• Use the IMS accessibility element to associate text content with text, graphical, or spoken supplements
• Make metadata viewable by humans

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Provide the pronunciation immediately following the word
• Link to pronunciations
• Provide a glossary that includes pronunciation information for words that have a unique pronunciation in the content and have meaning that depends on pronunciation
• Provide pronunciation information using the ruby element or standard diacritical marks that can be turned off

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Providing pronunciations in a sound file, so that users can listen to the pronunciations of the word
• Providing a mechanism for finding pronunciations for all foreign words in text content
• Providing a mechanism to determine the pronunciations of each word or phrase in text content

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Use and place (well) labels to maximize predictability of relationships

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Use “activate” rather than “focus” as a trigger for changes of context. Note we are talking about change of context, not about change of content

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Don’t cause persistent changes of state or value when a component receives focus, or provide an alternate means to reset any changes
• Open new windows only when best from an accessibility perspective
• Give users advanced warning when opening a new window.

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Provide a submit button to initiate a change of context using a technology-specific technique like a submit button or a button with a select element to perform an action
• Describe what will happen before a change to a form control that causes a change of context to occur is made

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Give users advanced warning when opening a new window

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Present repeated components in the same relative order each time they appear

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Use templates to ensure consistency across multiple Web pages
• Create layout, positioning, layering, and alignment

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Use labels, names, and text alternatives consistently for content that has the same functionality and mandatory techniques for criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and mandatory techniques for criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value)

Please note that “Consistent” is not the same as “identical”.

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Ensuring that the text alternative conveys the function of the component and what will happen when the user activates it
• Use the same non-text content for a given function whenever possible

How to. Mandatory techniques

Choose the situation

• If the Web page allows automatic updates, provide a mechanism to request an update of the content instead of updating automatically
• If automatic redirects are possible, do it with the server side instead of on the client side; or use an instant client-side redirect using meta refresh to create an instant client-side redirect
• If the Web page uses pop-up windows, include pop-up windows using the target attribute to open a new window on user request and indicating this in link text; or using progressive enhancement to open new windows on user request
• If using an onchange event on a select element

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Open new windows by providing normal hyperlinks without the target attribute, because many user agents allow users to open links in another window or tab.
• Open new windows only when best from an accessibility perspective

How to. Mandatory techniques

If a form contains fields for which information from the user is mandatory.

• Provide text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed
• Provide client-side validation and alert

If information provided by the user is required to be in a specific data format or of certain values.

• Provide a text description when the user provides information that is not in the list of allowed values
• Provide a text description when user input falls outside the required format or values
• Provide client-side validation and alert
• Provide client-side validation and adding error text via the DOM

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Create a mechanism that allows users to jump to errors
• Validate form submissions on the server
• Re-display a form with a summary of errors
• Provide error notification as the user enters information
• Assist the user in making corrections by providing links to each error
• Highlight or visually emphasize errors where they occur
• Complement text with non-text content when reporting errors
• Provide success feedback when data is submitted successfully

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Provide descriptive labels and one of this techniques
  • Provide expected data format and example
  • Provide text instructions at the beginning of a form or set of fields that describes the necessary input
  • Place labels to maximize predictability of relationships
  • Provide text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed
• Use label elements to associate text labels with form controls
• Provide a description for groups of form controls using fieldset and legend elements
• Use the title attribute to identify form controls when the label element cannot be used
• Use an adjacent button to label the purpose of a field

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Describe what will happen before a change to a form control that causes a change of context to occur is made
• Use Accessible Rich Internet Application describedby property to provide a descriptive, programmatically determined label
• Use Accessible Rich Internet Applications to programmatically identify form fields as required
• Provide linear form design and grouping similar items

How to. Mandatory techniques

If a mandatory field contains no information

• Provide text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed

If information for a field is required to be in a specific data format

• Provide a text description when user input falls outside the required format or values
• Provide suggested correction text
• Provide client-side validation and alert
• Provide client-side validation and adding error text via the DOM

Information provided by the user is required to be one of a limited set of values

• Provide a text description when the user provides information that is not in the list of allowed values
• Provide suggested correction text
• Provide client-side validation and alert
• Provide client-side validation and adding error text via the DOM

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Create a mechanism that allows users to jump to errors
• Make error messages easy to understand and distinguishable from other text in the Web page
• Validate form submissions on the server
• When mandatory information has not been provided, including descriptions or examples of correct information in addition to identifying the field as mandatory
• Repeat and emphasize suggestions for correcting each input error in the context of its form field
• Provide a way for the user to skip from each item in a list of suggestions to its corresponding form field
• Provide additional contextual help for the form field requiring change
• Accept input data in a variety of formats
• Provide success feedback when data is submitted successfully
• Provide a text description that contains information about the number of input errors, suggestions for corrections to each item, and instructions on how to proceed
• Provide a text description that contains suggestions for correction as the first item (or one of the first items) of content, or emphasizing this information in the content
• Display errors and suggestions in the context of the original form (for example, re-displaying a form where input errors and suggestions for correction are highlighted and displayed in the context of the original form)
• Provide “correct examples” for data and data formats as initial text in mandatory form fields
• Provide links to suggested correction text “close to” form fields, or providing the suggested correction text itself directly on the Web page “next to” form fields
• Provide client-side validation and alert
• Provide client-side validation and adding error text via the DOM
• Call a function from the submit action of a form to perform client side validation
• Identify required fields with the “required” property
• Identify valid range information with the “valuemin” and “valuemax” properties

How to. Mandatory techniques

If an application causes a legal transaction to occur, such as making a purchase or submitting an income tax return

• Provide a stated period of time after submission of the form when the order can be updated or canceled by the user
• Provide the ability for the user to review and correct answers before submitting
• Provide a checkbox in addition to a submit button

If an action causes information to be deleted:

• Provide the ability to recover deleted information
• Request confirmation to continue with selected action
• Provide a checkbox in addition to a submit button

If the Web page includes a testing application

• Provide the ability for the user to review and correct answers before submitting
• Request confirmation to continue with selected action

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Tell the user what irreversible action is about to happen
• Provide client-side validation and alert
• Place focus in the field containing the error
• Avoid use of the same words or letter combinations to begin each item of a drop-down list
• Provide success feedback when data is submitted successfully

How to. Mandatory techniques

If a form requires text input

• Provide a help link on every Web page
• Provide help by an assistant in the Web page
• Provide spell checking and suggestions for text input
• Provide text instructions at the beginning of a form or set of fields that describes the necessary input

If a form requires text input in an expected data format

• Provide expected data format and example
• Provide text instructions at the beginning of a form or set of fields that describes the necessary input

Additional, Advisory Techniques

• Use the title attribute to provide context-sensitive help
• Checking byte of character and auto-converting to expected byte for text input if applicable

How to. Mandatory techniques

• Follow the mandatory techniques for Success Criterion 3.3.4 for all forms that require the user to submit information