CLF for the Internet - Accessibility
All GoC Web sites and their pages
must incorporate text equivalents for non-textual elements, such as graphics, images,
navigational aids, sound tracks, to ensure universal accessibility goals are achieved.
Rationale
The requirements for this standard are already clearly stated in the priority 1 checkpoints
for W3C Web Content Accessibility Guideline 1
and would thus seem to make this standard redundant. The CLF working group was of the opinion that the sheer
importance of marking up non-textual elements with text equivalents was reason enough to
highlight this requirement in its own standard. Supplying appropriate textual-equivalents
is a major enabler of device independence (the ability to serve content to any Web device)
and accessibility for persons with disabilities who use assistive technology.
Accessibility standards are intended to make Web pages more functional for people with
disabilities and to individuals using new Web page viewing technologies and electronic agents
such as indexing robots. The standards outline procedures for Web authors to ensure that
content and functions are equally accessible to all users. Authors need to be particularly
aware of guidelines associated with the use of multimedia components and the application of
text equivalents.
Federal Identity Program (FIP)
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
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Standard 1.4