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Choice of input methods

Support the user's choice of input methods including keyboard, mouse, voice, and assistive devices via the serial port. The primary requirement is to provide keyboard access (mouse-less operation) to all features and functions of the software application. The operating system usually provides support for input via the serial port, keyboard movement of the mouse pointer, and other keyboard enhancements

Choice of output methods

Support the user's choice of output methods including display, sound, and print. The primary requirement is to provide text labels for icons, graphics, and user interface elements and to support visual indications for sounds.

Consistency and flexibility

Make the application consistent with the user's choice of system behavior, colors, fonts sizes, and keyboard settings. Provide a user interface that can be customized to accommodate the user's needs and preferences including fonts, colors, and display layout.

Text equivalent of an image

How does a text equivalent make the image accessible? Both words in "text equivalent" are important:

Text content can be presented to the user as synthesized speech, braille, and visually-displayed text. Each of these three mechanisms uses a different sense -- ears for synthesized speech, tactile for braille, and eyes for visually-displayed text -- making the information accessible to groups representing a variety of sensory and other disabilities.

In order to be useful, the text must convey the same function or purpose as the image. For example, consider a text equivalent for a photographic image of the Earth as seen from outer space. If the purpose of the image is mostly that of decoration, then the text "Photograph of the Earth as seen from outer space" might fulfill the necessary function. If the purpose of the photograph is to illustrate specific information about world geography, then the text equivalent should convey that information. If the photograph has been designed to tell the user to select the image (e.g., by clicking on it) for information about the earth, equivalent text would be "Information about the Earth". Thus, if the text conveys the same function or purpose for the user with a disability as the image does for other users, then it can be considered a text equivalent.

Note that, in addition to benefiting users with disabilities, text equivalents can help all users find pages more quickly, since search robots can use the text when indexing the pages.

While Web content developers must provide text equivalents for images and other multimedia content, it is the responsibility of user agents (e.g., browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers, braille displays etc.) to present the information to the user.

Non-text equivalents of text

(e.g., icons, pre-recorded speech, or a video of a person translating the text into sign language) can make documents accessible to people who may have difficulty accessing written text, including many individuals with cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, and deafness. Non-text equivalents of text can also be helpful to non-readers. An auditory description is an example of a non-text equivalent of visual information. An auditory description of a multimedia presentation's visual track benefits people who cannot see the visual information.