Certification
Accessibility is not just nice to have, it is often obligatory and is certified.
Table of content
- When is it my duty to be accessible?
- The standards
- POUR – Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust
When is it my duty to be accessible?
When websites or digital systems are developed for public authorities, accessibility is usually required by law. The site must either be completely barrier-free or a barrier-free alternative must be offered. The standard that must be met is usually the AA standard.
The standards
These standards are specified by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which distinguish between 3 levels of accessibility.
The A-Standard
The A standard is the minimum accessibility standard. Basic requirements such as contrast must be observed. The code must be implemented correctly so that the supporting technology can read and interpret the page.
The AA-Standard
There are already many things to consider here, for example, navigation via the keyboard must be possible. Also the assisting devices must be able to read the page, and the page must be displayed in a simpler form. To mention just a few points.
The AAA-Standard
The AAA standard must meet all requirements of the A and AA standards. All content must be accessible in simplified language. And audio transcription is required.
A detailed checklist can be found under ch.ch made by “Autorengruppe Accessibility Checkliste 2.0”.
POUR – Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust
But how is accessibility actually assessed and certified? For this purpose the website is evaluated in 4 categories.
Perceivable
Information and components of the user interface must be presented to users in such a way that they can perceive them.
Operable
Components of the user interface and navigation must be operable.
Understandable
Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
Robust
Content must be robust enough to be reliably read by a wide range of user agents, including assistive technologies.
Links
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
ch.ch