BITV Annex (Part 1)
This document does not contain any provisions on basic technical equipment which is used to provide electronic content and information (servers, routers, network architectures, operating systems etc.) nor with regard to user agents to be used. The requirements and conditions refer solely to the electronic content and information offered to the user.
The standards and requirements of this annex are generally based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 of the World Wide Web Consortium of May 5, 1999.
The basic technical terms contained in part 1 of this annex are underlined where they first appear in the text and explained in part 2 of this annex (glossary).
Priority I
| Standard 1 | For each auditory or visual content, suitable equivalent contents have to be provided fulfilling the same purpose or function as the original content. |
|---|---|
| Requirement 1.1 | For each non-text element, a text equivalent has to be provided. This applies in particular to: images, graphical representations of text including symbols, image map regions, animations (e.g. animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, art based on the use of characters and symbols of the ASCII code (ASCII art), frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video and video. |
| Requirement 1.2 | For each active region of a server-side image map, redundant text hyperlinks have to be provided. |
| Requirement 1.3 | For multimedia presentations, an auditory description of the important information of the visual track has to be provided. |
| Requirement 1.4 | For any time-based multimedia presentation (in particular movies or animations), equivalent alternatives (e.g. captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) have to be synchronized with the presentation. |
| Standard 2 | Texts and graphics have to be understandable also when viewed without color. |
| Requirement 2.1 | All information conveyed with color also has to be available without color, e.g. from context or the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Requirement 2.2 | Images have to be designed in a way that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast on a black and white screen and when viewed by persons having color deficits. |
| Standard 3 | Markup language (in particular HTML) and style sheets have to be used according to their respective specifications and formal definitions. |
| Requirement 3.1 | If an appropriate markup language exists, it has to be used, rather than images, in order to convey information. |
| Requirement 3.2 | Documents produced on the basis of markup languages have to be created and declared in a way as to validate to published formal grammars. |
| Requirement 3.3 | Style sheets have to be used in order to control the layout and presentation of documents produced on the basis of markup languages. |
| Requirement 3.4 | Relative rather than absolute units have to be used in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values. |
| Requirement 3.5 | Header elements have to be used in order to convey the structure of documents produced on the basis of markup languages. |
| Requirement 3.6 | In order to represent lists and list elements, the markup elements intended for this purpose have to be used. |
| Requirement 3.7 | Quotes have to be identified by the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Standard 4 | Special linguistic features such as a change of language or abbreviations have to be identified. |
| Requirement 4.1 | Changes in the primary natural language have to be identified. |
| Standard 5 | Tables have to be described using the markup elements intended for this purpose and may generally only be used as data tables. |
| Requirement 5.1 | For data tables, row and column headers have to be identified using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Requirement 5.2 | For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, data cells and header cells have to be associated using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Requirement 5.3 | Tables may not be used for layout unless they can also be represented in a linearized form. |
| Requirement 5.4 | If tables are used for layout, no structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting may be used. |
| Standard 6 | Webpages have to be usable also if newer technologies are not supported by the user agent used or if they are deactivated. |
| Requirement 6.1 | It has to be ensured that documents produced on the basis of markup language are usable when the associated style sheets are deactivated. |
| Requirement 6.2 | It has to be ensured that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes. |
| Requirement 6.3 | It has to be ensured that documents produced on the basis of markup language are usable when scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are deactivated. |
| Requirement 6.4 | It has to be ensured that event handlers for scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are input device-independent. |
| Requirement 6.5 | Dynamic content has to be accessible. If this can only be achieved at disproportionate expense, equivalent alternative pages without dynamic content have to be provided. |
| Standard 7 | Time-sensitive content changes have to be controllable for the user. |
| Requirement 7.1 | Screen flickering has to be avoided. |
| Requirement 7.2 | Blinking content has to be avoided. |
| Requirement 7.3 | Movement in documents produced on the basis of markup languages either has to be avoided or mechanisms have to be provided allowing the user to freeze moving or changing content. |
| Requirement 7.4 | Automatic periodic refresh of documents produced on the basis of markup languages has to be avoided. |
| Requirement 7.5 | The use of markup elements for automatic redirects has to be avoided. If automatic redirects are indispensable, the server has to be configured in a way as to perform the redirects. |
| Standard 8 | Direct accessibility of user interfaces imbedded in webpages has to be ensured. |
| Requirement 8.1 | Programmatic elements (in particular scripts and applets) have to be designed in a way as to be directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies. |
| Standard 9 | Webpages have to be designed in a way as to work with functions which are usable independently of input or output devices. |
| Requirement 9.1 | Client-side image maps have to be provided, unless the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape. |
| Requirement 9.2 | It has to be possible to operate any element which has its own interface in a device-independent manner. |
| Requirement 9.3 | In scripts, logical event handlers have to be specified rather than device-dependent ones. |
| Standard 10 | The usability of assistive technologies and browsers which no longer correspond to the state of the art has to be ensured, if this does not cause disproportionate expense. |
| Requirement 10.1 | The appearance of pop-ups or other windows has to be avoided. The user has to be informed of changes of the current window. |
| Requirement 10.2 | For all form controls with implicitly associated labels, it has to be ensured that the labels are properly positioned. |
| Standard 11 | The technologies used for creating a webpage are to be publicly accessible and fully documented, such as the technologies developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. |
| Requirement 11.1 | Publicly accessible and fully documented technologies in their respective latest version have to be used, if this is appropriate to fulfill the envisaged task. |
| Requirement 11.2 | The use of functions which are outdated due to the existence of new versions has to be avoided. |
| Requirement 11.3 | If in spite of taking best efforts it is not possible to create a barrier-free webpage, an alternative, barrier-free page has to be provided containing equivalent functionality and up-to-date information, technical possibilities permitting. If non-barrier-free technologies are used, these have to be replaced as soon as technological developments have produced equivalent accessible solutions which are available and usable. |
| Standard 12 | The user has to be provided context and orientation information. |
| Requirement 12.1 | Each frame has to be titled in order to facilitate identification and navigation. |
| Requirement 12.2 | The purpose of frames and their relation to each other has to be described if this is not obvious from frame titles used. |
| Requirement 12.3 | Large blocks of information have to be divided into more manageable groups by using markup elements. |
| Requirement 12.4 | Labels have to be associated explicitly with their controls. |
| Standard 13 | Navigation mechanisms have to be clear and logical. |
| Requirement 13.1 | The target of each hyperlink has to be clearly identifiable. |
| Requirement 13.2 | Metadata have to be provided to add semantic information to webpages. |
| Requirement 13.3 | Information about the general structure and layout of a webpage has to be provided, e.g. by using a table of contents or a site map. |
| Requirement 13.4 | Navigation mechanisms have to be used in a logical and understandable manner. |
| Standard 14 | General understanding of the content offered has to be supported by appropriate measures. |
| Requirement 14.1 | The clearest and simplest language appropriate for a content has to be used. |
Priority II
| Standard 1 | For each auditory or visual content, suitable equivalent contents have to be provided fulfilling the same purpose or function as the original content. |
|---|---|
| Requirement 1.5 | For each active region of a client-side image map, redundant hypertext links have to be provided. |
| Standard 2 | Texts and graphics have to be understandable also when viewed without color. |
| Requirement 2.3 | Texts have to be designed in a way that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast on a black and white screen and when viewed by persons having color deficits. |
| Standard 3 | Markup language (in particular HTML ) and style sheets have to be used according to their respective specifications and formal definitions. |
| Standard 4 | Special linguistic features such as a change of language or abbreviations have to be identified. |
| Requirement 4.2 | The expansion of abbreviations and acronyms have to be specified where they first occur in a document and identified using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Requirement 4.3 | The primary natural language of a document has to be identified using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Standard 5 | Tables have to be described using the markup elements intended for this purpose and may generally only be used as data tables. |
| Requirement 5.5 | Summaries have to be provided for tables, using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Requirement 5.6 | Abbreviations have to be provided for header labels, using the markup elements intended for this purpose. |
| Standard 6 | Webpages have to be usable also if newer technologies are not supported by the user agent used or if they are deactivated. |
| Standard 7 | Time-sensitive content changes have to be controllable for the user. |
| Standard 8 | Direct accessibility of user interfaces imbedded in webpages has to be ensured. |
| Standard 9 | Webpages have to be designed in a way as to work with functions which are usable independently of input or output devices. |
| Requirement 9.4 | A tab-navigable, understandable and logical order of hyperlinks, form controls and objects has to be created. |
| Requirement 9.5 | Keyboard shortcuts to hyperlinks which are essential for understanding the page (including those in client-side image maps), form controls and groups of form controls have to be provided. |
| Standard 10 | The usability of assistive technologies and browsers which no longer correspond to the state of the art has to be ensured, if this does not cause disproportionate expense. |
| Requirement 10.3 | For all tables laying out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns, a linear text alternative has to be provided. |
| Requirement 10.4 | Place-holding characters have to be included in empty controls in edit boxes and text areas. |
| Requirement 10.5 | Adjacent hyperlinks have to be separated by printable characters surrounded by spaces. |
| Standard 11 | The technologies used for creating a webpage are to be publicly accessible and fully documented, such as the technologies developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. |
| Requirement 11.4 | The user has to be provided information allowing her/him to receive documents according to her/his needs (e.g. language). |
| Standard 12 | The user has to be provided context and orientation information. |
| Standard 13 | Navigation mechanisms have to be clear and logical. |
| Requirement 13.5 | Navigation bars have to be provided in order to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism used. |
| Requirement 13.6 | Hyperlinks which are related or connected in terms of content have to be grouped. Groups have to be clearly labeled and have to include a mechanism to bypass the group. |
| Requirement 13.7 | If search functions are offered, different types of searches have to be provided to the user. |
| Requirement 13.8 | Meaningful information has to be offered at the beginning of blocks of information related in terms of content (e.g. paragraphs, lists) in order to provide an overview of them. |
| Requirement 13.9 | If documents which are related in terms of content are offered separately, consolidated versions of these documents have to be provided. |
| Requirement 13.10 | Mechanisms have to be provided allowing to bypass ASCII art. |
| Standard 14 | General understanding of the content offered has to be supported by appropriate measures. |
| Requirement 14.2 | Text has to supplemented with graphic or auditory presentations where they facilitate comprehension of the information offered. |
| Requirement 14.3 | The style of presentation chosen has to be followed consistently. |