Section Headings

W3 Accessibility Guidelines Original

Section Headings

Section headings are used to organize the content. (Level AAA)

Note 1: "Heading" is used in its general sense and includes titles and other ways to add a heading to different types of content.

Note 2: This success criterion covers sections within writing, not user interface components. User Interface components are covered under Success Criterion 4.1.2.

W3 Accessibility Guidelines alt2

4.1.2 Make Interface Instructions Accessible for Assistive Technology

Why?

You probably designed your website with a screen size and user in mind, but it's important to think beyond those boxes and open your content up for everyone.

Some users with disabilities use Assistive Technology (AT) to access web content. Assistive technology includes a range of devices: screen readers and magnifiers, speech recognition or text to speech software, alternative keyboards (such as sip/puff and switches), pointing devices (instead of a mouse), and new technology not yet on the market.

Assistive technology (AT) needs “interface instructions” to gather information about, process, and activate your web content and to recreate a good user experience.

Accessible interface instructions use a compatible common language: Name, Role, Value.

Without this common language, your content will get lost in translation before it reaches your end user and your website or application won’t work for them. With this common language, your user will be able to experience your content as you intended, using technology that works for them.

Who it helps?

Assistive technology are used by people with visible and invisible disabilities, including visual impairment and blindness, physical disabilities, as well as cognitive and language disabilities.

Assistive technology may alter text font, size, spacing, colour, or synchronization, in order to make it more accessible for their users.

How?

Use the format: Name, Role, Value, for all user interface components you add or change.

Name is the label or name you call your feature. E.g. CAR

Role is the function that attribute achieves. E.g. DOOR (on the car)

And value is whether it is on/off, yes/no, or checked/unchecked. E.g. OPEN (car door is open)

Exceptions?

You don't need to do this for standard web controls you build on, just when you build something new.

Technical Tips:

Use an accessible API (Application Program Interface)

ARIA 4, 5, 14, 16 (links)

PDF 10. PDF 12 (links)

SL 6, 18, 20, 26, 30, 32 (links)

Flash 29, 30, 32 (links)

Example

The most obvious example is this: Name - CAR. Role - DOOR. Value - OPEN.

Here are a few others:

Name - Tree, List.

Role - Checkbox, Button, Hyperlink, Point of Focus.

Value - Checked/unchecked, Expanded/collapsed.