
   [guidelines]
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   W3C 
   
List of Checkpoints for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

   This version:
          http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/atag10-chklist
          (plain text, PostScript, PDF)
          
   This document is an appendix to:
          http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203
          
   Latest version of Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0:
          http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10
          
   Editors:
          Jutta Treviranus - ATRC, University of Toronto
          Charles McCathieNevile - W3C
          Ian Jacobs - W3C
          Jan Richards - University of Toronto
          
   Copyright 2000 W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C
   liability, trademark, document use and software licensing rules
   apply.
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Abstract

   This document is an appendix to the Authoring Tool Accessibility
   Guidelines 1.0 [ATAG10]. It provides a list of all checkpoints from
   the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, organized by
   priority, as a checklist for authoring tool developers. Please refer
   to Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 for introductory
   information, information about related documents, a glossary of terms,
   and further information. This document is not a substitute for the
   Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
   
   A tabular version of the list of checkpoints is also available.
   
Status of this document

   This section describes the status of this document at the time of its
   publication. Other documents may supersede this document. The latest
   status of this document series is maintained at the W3C.
   
   This document is an appendix to Authoring Tool Accessibility
   Guidelines 1.0, which has been reviewed by W3C Members and other
   interested parties and has been endorsed by the Director as a W3C
   Recommendation. It is a stable document and may be used as reference
   material or cited as a normative reference from another document.
   
   The list of known errors in this document is available at
   http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/ATAG-ERRATA. Please report errors in this
   document to wai-atag-editor@w3.org.
   
   This document has been produced by the Authoring Tool Accessibility
   Guidelines Working Group (AUWG) as part of the Web Accessibility
   Initiative (WAI). The goals of the Working Group are discussed in the
   AUWG charter.
   
   A list of current W3C Recommendations and other technical documents
   including Working Drafts and Notes can be found at
   http://www.w3.org/TR.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Introduction

   This checklist includes all checkpoints from the Authoring Tool
   Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, organized by priority, as a checklist
   for authoring tool developers.
   
  Checkpoint Priorities
  
   Each checkpoint has a priority level. The priority level reflects the
   impact of the checkpoint in meeting the goals of this specification.
   These goals are:
     * That the authoring tool be accessible;
     * That the authoring tool produce accessible content by default;
     * That the authoring tool encourage the creation of accessible
       content.
       
   The priority levels are assigned as follows:
   
   [Priority 1]
          If the checkpoint is essential to meeting the goals.
          
   [Priority 2]
          If the checkpoint is important to meeting the goals.
          
   [Priority 3]
          If the checkpoint is beneficial to meeting the goals.
          
   [Relative Priority]
          Some checkpoints that refer to generating, authoring, or
          checking Web content have multiple priorities. The priority
          depends on the corresponding priority in the Web Content
          Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 [WCAG10].
          
          + It is priority 1 to satisfy the checkpoint for content
            features that are a priority 1 requirement in WCAG 1.0.
          + It is priority 2 to satisfy the checkpoint for content
            features that are a priority 2 requirement in WCAG 1.0.
          + It is priority 3 to satisfy the checkpoint for content
            features that are a priority 3 requirement in WCAG 1.0.
            
          For example:
          
          + Providing text equivalents for images and audio is a priority
            1 requirement in WCAG 1.0 since without it one or more groups
            will find it impossible to access the information. Therefore,
            it is a priority 1 requirement for the authoring tool to
            check for (4.1) or ask the author for (3.1) equivalent
            alternatives for these types of content.
          + Grouping links in navigation bars is a priority 3 in WCAG
            1.0. Therefore, it is only priority 3 for the authoring tool
            to check for (4.1) or ask the author for (3.2) groups of
            links that are not grouped in the markup as a navigation
            mechanism.
            
          When a checkpoint in this document refers to the WCAG 1.0
          [WCAG10], only the WCAG 1.0 checkpoints that refer to content
          supported or automatically generated by the authoring tool
          apply. Some of the applicable WCAG 1.0 checkpoints may be
          satisfied automatically (without author participation) while
          others require human judgment and support from the tool in the
          form of prompts and documentation. Different tools may satisfy
          the same checkpoint differently.
          
   The priority level for each checkpoint has been chosen based on the
   assumption that the author is a competent, but not necessarily expert,
   user of the authoring tool, and that the author has little or no
   knowledge of accessibility. For example, the author is not expected to
   have read all of the documentation, but is expected to know how to
   turn to the documentation for assistance.
   
Priority 1 checkpoints

     * Checkpoint 1.1 Ensure that the author can produce accessible
       content in the markup language(s) supported by the tool.
       [Priority 1] (Techniques for 1.1)
     * Checkpoint 1.2 Ensure that the tool preserves all accessibility
       information during authoring, transformations, and conversions.
       [Priority 1] (Techniques for 1.2)
     * Checkpoint 2.2 Ensure that the tool automatically generates valid
       markup. [Priority 1] (Techniques for 2.2)
     * Checkpoint 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] (Techniques for 3.4)
     * Checkpoint 6.1 Document all features that promote the production
       of accessible content. [Priority 1] (Techniques for 6.1)
     * Checkpoint 7.2 Allow the author to change the presentation within
       editing views without affecting the document markup. [Priority 1]
       (Techniques for 7.2)
     * Checkpoint 7.3 Allow the author to edit all properties of each
       element and object in an accessible fashion. [Priority 1]
       (Techniques for 7.3)
     * Checkpoint 7.4 Ensure that the editing view allows navigation via
       the structure of the document in an accessible fashion.
       [Priority 1] (Techniques for 7.4)
       
Relative Priority checkpoints

   Note: These should be assessed by reference to the checkpoints of the
   Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [WCAG10], and may be met at three
   different levels.
     * Checkpoint 1.3 Ensure that when the tool automatically generates
       markup it conforms to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility
       Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Relative Priority] (Techniques for 1.3)
     * Checkpoint 1.4 Ensure that templates provided by the tool conform
       to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10].
       [Relative Priority] (Techniques for 1.4)
     * Checkpoint 3.1 Prompt the author to provide equivalent alternative
       information (e.g., captions, auditory descriptions, and collated
       text transcripts for video). [Relative Priority] (Techniques for
       3.1)
     * Checkpoint 3.2 Help the author create structured content and
       separate information from its presentation. [Relative Priority]
       (Techniques for 3.2)
     * Checkpoint 3.3 Ensure that prepackaged content conforms to the Web
       Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Relative Priority]
       (Techniques for 3.3)
     * Checkpoint 4.1 Check for and inform the author of accessibility
       problems. [Relative Priority] (Techniques for 4.1)
     * Checkpoint 4.2 Assist authors in correcting accessibility
       problems. [Relative Priority] (Techniques for 4.2)
     * Checkpoint 7.1 Use all applicable operating system and
       accessibility standards and conventions (Priority 1 for standards
       and conventions that are essential to accessibility; Priority 2
       for those that are important to accessibility; Priority 3 for
       those that are beneficial to accessibility). (Techniques for 7.1)
       
Priority 2 checkpoints

     * Checkpoint 2.1 Use the latest versions of W3C Recommendations when
       they are available and appropriate for a task. [Priority 2]
       (Techniques for 2.1)
     * Checkpoint 4.3 Allow the author to preserve markup not recognized
       by the tool. [Priority 2] (Techniques for 4.3)
     * Checkpoint 5.1 Ensure that functionality related to accessible
       authoring practices is naturally integrated into the overall look
       and feel of the tool. [Priority 2] (Techniques for 5.1)
     * Checkpoint 5.2 Ensure that accessible authoring practices
       supporting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]
       Priority 1 checkpoints are among the most obvious and easily
       initiated by the author. [Priority 2] (Techniques for 5.2)
     * Checkpoint 6.2 Ensure that creating accessible content is a
       naturally integrated part of the documentation, including
       examples. [Priority 2] (Techniques for 6.2)
     * Checkpoint 7.5 Enable editing of the structure of the document in
       an accessible fashion. [Priority 2] (Techniques for 7.5)
     * Checkpoint 7.6 Allow the author to search within editing views.
       [Priority 2] (Techniques for 7.6)
       
Priority 3 checkpoints

     * Checkpoint 2.3 If markup produced by the tool does not conform to
       W3C specifications, inform the author. [Priority 3] (Techniques
       for 2.3)
     * Checkpoint 3.5 Provide functionality for managing, editing, and
       reusing alternative equivalents for multimedia objects.
       [Priority 3] (Techniques for 3.5)
     * Checkpoint 4.4 Provide the author with a summary of the document's
       accessibility status. [Priority 3] (Techniques for 4.4)
     * Checkpoint 4.5 Allow the author to transform presentation markup
       that is misused to convey structure into structural markup, and to
       transform presentation markup used for style into style sheets.
       [Priority 3] (Techniques for 4.5)
     * Checkpoint 6.3 In a dedicated section, document all features of
       the tool that promote the production of accessible content.
       [Priority 3] (Techniques for 6.3)
       
References

   For the latest version of any W3C specification please consult the
   list of W3C Technical Reports.
   
   [ATAG10]
          "Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0," J. Treviranus,
          C. McCathieNevile, I. Jacobs, and J. Richards, eds. The latest
          version is available at http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10.
          
   [WCAG10]
          "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0," W. Chisholm, G.
          Vanderheiden, and I. Jacobs, eds., 5 May 1999. This
          Recommendation is
          http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505. The latest
          version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" is
          available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/.
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   [guidelines]
