Web Accessibility - How Ebase meets the W3C Guidelines

WCAG 1.0

The following chart summarizes the items in the WCAG 1.0 standard, and details how Ebase meets each requirement. If explicit action is required by the Ebase designer, this is also detailed in the Ebase designer action required column..

WCAG Item	Priority	Description	How implemented in Ebase	Ebase designer action required
Guideline 1. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content
1.1	1	Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element	A multi-lingual alternative text can be specified for all images.	Ensure that an alternate text is supplied for all images. For images included in additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, ensure that an alternative text is always provided.
1.2	1	Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map	Not applicable	None
1.3	1	Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation	Not applicable	None
1.4	1	For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation	Not applicable	None
1.5	3	Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map	Not applicable	None
Guideline 2. Don't rely on color alone
2.1	1	Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color	Organizations can create non color presentation template/style sheet combinations and either use these permanently, or include a button on a form to switch template. In addition alternate style sheets can be used – giving the user the option of switching to a non-color style sheet. Note: not all browsers currently offer support for alternate style sheets.	Decide whether to provide non color options.
2.2	2	Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen	None	Ensure color combinations meet the standard.
Guideline 3. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly.
3.1	2	When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information	Not applicable	Do not use images that just contain text e.g. do not use an image like - either use a more graphical image or a button with the words 'next page'.
3.2	2	Create documents that validate to published formal grammars	Ebase generated HTML conforms to the HTML 4.01 standard.	Ensure that additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, meets the HTML 4.01 standard.
3.3	2	Use style sheets to control layout and presentation	Ebase uses style sheets if the client browser has support for style sheets.	Ensure that additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, also uses style sheets for markup unless the browser does not support style sheets (see Ebase External Interface). The style sheets can be included in the HTML++ section for each form.
3.4	2	Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values	No action.	Do not specify absolute units e.g. 'pt' or 'cm' in presentation templates or in additional included content.
3.5	2	Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification	Not applicable	If header tags are used or in additional included content e.g. H1, H2 etc, ensure these are used correctly. See W3C techniques - headers.
3.6	2	Mark up lists and list items properly	Not applicable	If HTML list elements are included in additional content, refer to W3C techniques - lists.
3.7	2	Mark up quotations	Not applicable	None
Guideline 4. Clarify natural language use.
4.1	1	Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents	Not applicable	None
4.2	3	Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs	Not applicable	None
4.3	3	Identify the primary natural language of a document	The language is identified in the HTML tag.	None
Guideline 5. Create tables that transform gracefully
5.1	1	For data tables, identify row and column headers	Ebase identifies table column headers using <TH> tags and table row data using <TD> tags.	None
5.2	1	For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells	Not applicable	None
5.3	2	Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized	Ebase uses tables for layout and these do make sense when linearized.	None
5.4	2	If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting	Not applicable	None
5.5	3	Provide summaries for tables	The table title text is also used as the summary text.	None
5.6	3	Provide abbreviations for header labels	This guideline has not been implemented.	None
Guideline 6: Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully
6.1	1	Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets	Ebase dynamically disables style sheets when it encounters a browser that does not support them.	See item 3.3
6.2	1	Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes	Not applicable	None
6.3	1	Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported	Ebase has the ability to operate with Javascript enabled or disabled. Javascript can be disabled globally for all users if required. If not, then Javascript will be disabled only for those client browsers that do not support it (See Web Accessibility - use of Javascript). In addition Javascript can be enabled or disabled programmatically.	Ensure that additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, also do not use Javascript if it is disabled (see Ebase External Interface)
6.4	2	For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent	Ebase uses either application level events or uses both onClick and onKeyPress events together thus supporting both mouse and keyboard use.	None
6.5	2	Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page	Not applicable	None
Guideline 7: Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes
7.1	1	Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker	Not applicable	None
7.2	2	Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink	Not applicable	None
7.3	2	Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages	Not applicable	None
7.4	2	Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages	Not applicable	None
7.5	2	Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically	All URL redirects e.g. CALL URL and GOTO URL commands are performed via the server.	None
Guideline 8: Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces
8.1	1	Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies	See item 6.3	None
Guideline 9: Design for device-independence
9.1	1	Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape	Not applicable	None
9.2	2	Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner	All elements presented on a page e.g. checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdown lists, image links etc. can be activated either with a mouse or via the keyboard.	Ensure that additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, also follows this guideline.
9.3	2	For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers	See 9.2	See 9.2
9.4	3	Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects	The tab order generated starts at the top of the page and includes all enterable fields, help buttons and images in the order they are presented. If the page includes a multi-column layout, the tab order will process the left-hand column from top to bottom before moving to the right-hand column.	None
9.5	3	Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls	This has not been implemented.	None
Guideline 10: Use interim solutions
10.1	2	Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user	Ebase provides a global option to disable the pop-up of additional browser windows. If this option is activated, 'pop-up' windows are displayed in the orginating window. This applies to the following Ebase features: Pop-up help Save/restore feature windows Upload command window Windows displayed with the display command. Certain file types will always be displayed in a popup window. Popup windows can also be enabled or disabled programatically.	Consider whether to activate the global feature to disable popups. If not, clearly identify all buttons or images that will result in a pop-up window so the user is aware of what will happen.
10.2	2	Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned	Ebase field labels are positioned immediately to the left of the form field to which they relate.	None
10.3	3	Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns	This has not been implemented. It addresses a very old problem.	None
10.4	3	Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas	Not implemented	This can be implemented by specifying a default value for all fields displayed in edit boxes or text areas.
10.5	3	Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links	Not applicable	None
Guideline 11: Use W3C technologies and guidelines
11.1	2	Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported	Ebase is based on the use of W3C technologies e.g. HTML, style sheets etc. However, Ebase uses the Adobe PDF document format to create high quality, printable documents. This is not a W3C technology but is a de facto web standard. In addition, Ebase is capable of displaying any document that can be displayed in a browser, using the display command e.g. documents of type doc, xls, tif etc.	None
11.2	2	Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies	No deprecated features are used	Ensure that all HTML tags included in any additional content e.g. included HTML or JSPs, are in the HTML 4.01 specification.
11.3	3	Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)	Ebase is multi-lingual and forms can be displayed in any language.	None
11.4	1	If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page	Not applicable	None
Guideline 12: Provide context and orientation information
12.1	1	Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation	Ebase provides the ability to enter a title text	The title text must always be provided
12.2	2	Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone	Not applicable	None
12.3	2	Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate	Ebase provides the ability to group related fields together	Group related fields when applicable
12.4	2	Associate labels explicitly with their controls	If a label text is supplied, the label is always associated with the form control using the label for HTML tag.	None
Guideline 13: Provide clear navigation mechanisms
13.1	2	Clearly identify the target of each link	Ebase provides the ability to designate a field as a hyperlink.	If hyperlinks are used, the function performed by clicking the link should be clear from the hyperlink text.
13.2	2	Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites	Ebase provides a generic facility for adding metadata. Metadata can be added both globally - to all forms - and to individual forms.	Configure global metadata and metadata for each form.
13.3	2	Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).	Not applicable	None
13.4	2	Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner	Ebase provides a number of options for navigating between pages.	Do not mix navigation styles within a form e.g. do not mix page navigation buttons and page navigation images.
13.5	3	Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism	Not applicable	None
13.6	3	Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group	Not applicable	None
13.7	3	If search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences	Not applicable	None
13.8	3	Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc	Not applicable	See item 14.1
13.9	3	Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).	A page standard progress tracker is provided with Ebase. This can be enhanced as required.	Provide information at the start of each form on the number of pages to be completed, and progress information as the user completes the form.
13.10	3	Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art	Not applicable	None
Guideline 14: Ensure that documents are clear and simple
14.1	1	Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content	Not applicable	· Use clear and simple language · Put essential descriptive information at the start of each section
14.2	3	Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page	Not applicable	None
14.3	3	Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages	Ebase presentation templates encourage the use of a consistent presentational style.	Use a consistent presentation style throughout each form e.g. do not change header colors, font sizes, font types etc.

Priority	Standard level	Meaning
1	A	These items must be satisfied. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to use the form. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use the form.
2	AA	These items should be satisfied. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the form. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to using forms.
3	AAA	These items may be satisfied. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the form. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access forms.

WCAG 1.0

Guideline 2. Don't rely on color alone

Guideline 7: Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes