8. Other Accessibility Standards
ATAG: Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
Authoring tools come in many forms. Some familiar web-based examples of authoring tools include blogs (e.g., WordPress), wikis (e.g., Mediawiki), content management systems (e.g., Drupal), learning management systems (e.g., Canvas), document authoring tools (e.g., Google Docs), and video production environments (e.g., YouTube). Some other tools that are not web-based include HTML editors (e.g., Adobe Dreamweaver), video authoring tools (e.g., Camtasia Studio), and document authoring tools (e.g., Microsoft Word) that are all capable of creating content for the Web.
In addition to providing guidance on developing web content that is accessible through WCAG 2.0, the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has introduced the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG 2.0) which provide guidance for web authoring tool developers to ensure that:
- Tools are accessible to be used by people with disabilities
- Tools make it possible to create WCAG 2.0 conformant Web content
Conformance
ATAG 2.0 guidelines are sorted by levels of importance, much like WCAG 2.0. Because ATAG 2.0 covers tools that are not web-based, it does not specifically refer to “accessibility supported” requirements like those of WCAG 2.0 because those refer to web-based strategies that are supported by assistive technology.
ATAG 2.0 conformance for authoring tools is more complex than WCAG 2.0 conformance for web content, as it subsumes WCAG 2.0 and adds a range of requirements specific to authoring tools.
Partial ATAG 2.0 process component conformance is also possible in cases where additional add-on components would be needed to claim full conformance. For example, if the tool does not provide accessibility checking capability (a requirement for ATAG 2.0 conformance), it can claim partial conformance if it is possible to add a plugin that provides accessibility checking. Partial conformance can also be claimed when the platform limits compliance. For example, if a tool runs on multiple operating systems, and conformance is possible on one platform (e.g., Windows) that has an add-on accessibility checking service available, but a similar service is not available for the system run on on a different platform (e.g., Linux), a platform limitation conformance claim can be made.
More details about conformance claims can be found in the ATAG 2.0 specifications itself:
Readings and References: ATAG 2.0 Conformance Claims
ATAG 2.0 Part A
Part A of ATAG 2.0 provides guidance on making the authoring tool user interface accessible. Generally speaking, these guidelines reflect WCAG 2.0 with the addition of accessibility requirements for tools that are not web-based.
The four top level guidelines in Part A are as follows:
- Principle A.1: Authoring tool user interfaces follow applicable accessibility guidelines
- Principle A.2: Editing-views are perceivable
- Principle A.3: Editing-views are operable
- Principle A.4: Edi