WCAG 1.0 Accessibility Standard

The WCAG 1.0 guidelines were published in May 1999 and retired in May 2021. They explain how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities.

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0 - 1999)

Rules

This section lists the 62 rules covering 29 checkpoints for WCAG 1.0 supported by the current version of the product.

1. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content

1.1 A Text equivalents - 13 rules

• Applet with no fallback content (HTML)
• Image map has no accessible name (HTML)
• ARIA image has no accessible name (HTML)
• Image has no accessible name (HTML)
• alt is image file name (PDF and HTML)
• Graphic button has no accessible name (HTML)
• Object with no fallback content (HTML)
• ASCII art used for text alternative (HTML)
• Image accessible name uses placeholder (HTML)
• PDF graphic has no accessible name (PDF)
• button image must have alt (HTML)
• SVG has no accessible name (HTML)
• Word graphic has no accessible name (Office documents)

1.2 A Server-side image maps - No rules

1.3 A Auditory description - No rules

1.4 A Captions - No rules

1.5 AAA Client-side image maps. Obsolete, the “until user agents” condition has been met - No rules

2. Don’t rely on color alone

2.1 A Color only information - No rules

2.2 AAA Contrast - 2 rules

• CSS depends on default colors (HTML)
• Text contrast below minimum (HTML)

3. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly

3.1 AA Use markup rather than images - No rules

3.2 AA Use valid markup - No rules

3.3 AA Use style sheets - No rules

3.4 AA Avoid absolute units - 1 rule

• CSS absolute units and zoom disabled (HTML)

3.5 AA Use headings - 1 rule

• Headings should not contain headings (HTML)

3.6 AA Mark up lists - 1 rule

• Mark up lists and list items properly (HTML)

3.7 AA Mark up quotations - No rules

4. Clarify natural language usage

4.1 A Identify changes in language - 1 rule

• Language change without lang attribute (HTML)

4.2 AAA Expand acronyms - No rules

4.3 AAA Identify document language - 1 rule

• Missing page language (PDF and HTML)

5. Create tables that transform gracefully

5.1 A Table headers - 2 rules

• Data table without th headers (HTML)
• Word table without row and column headers (Office documents)

5.2 A Multi-level table headers - 1 rule

• Complex header associations need headers attribute (HTML)

5.3 AA Ensure layout tables can be linearized - No rules

5.4 AA Avoid structural markup in layout tables - 1 rule

• Layout table contains data table markup (HTML)

5.5 AAA Provide summaries for tables - 1 rule

• Layout table contains summary or caption (HTML)

5.6 AAA Provide abbreviations for table headings - No rules

6. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully

6.1 A Ensure pages are readable without stylesheets - 1 rule

• CSS position: causes meaningless sequence (HTML)

6.2 A Update equivalents when dynamic content changes - 1 rule

• Frame src contains an image instead of HTML (HTML)

6.3 A Ensure pages are usable when scripts turned off - No rules

6.4 AA Use device independent event handlers - No rules

6.5 AA Ensure dynamic content is accessible - No rules

7. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes

7.1 A Avoid flicker - 3 rules

• Scrolling marquee element (HTML)
• Don’t use large flashing images (HTML)
• Don’t use any flashing images (HTML)

7.2 AA Avoid blinking - 1 rule

• Flashing blink element (HTML)

7.3 AA Avoid movement - 2 rules

• Animated image longer than 5 seconds (HTML)
• Autoplay video longer than 5 seconds (HTML)

7.4 AA No auto refresh - 1 rule

• Timed meta tag page refresh (HTML)

7.5 AA No auto redirect - 1 rule

• Timed meta tag page redirect (HTML)

8. Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces

8.1 A Accessible applets - No rules

9. Design for device-independence

9.1 A Client-side image maps - 1 rule

• Server-side image maps are inaccessible (HTML)

9.2 AA Device-independent elements - No rules

9.3 AA Logical event handlers - 8 rules

• mouseup handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• mouseover handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• mouseout handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• mousedown handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• click handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• dblclick handler without keyboard equivalent (HTML)
• select change event blocks keyboard navigation (HTML)
• Form submits on focus change (HTML)

9.4 AAA Logical tab order - No rules

9.5 AAA Provide keyboard shortcuts - No rules

10. Use interim solutions

10.1 AA No popups - 2 rules

• Link target opens new window without warning (HTML)
• JavaScript opens new window without warning (HTML)

10.2 AA Label position. Obsolete, the “until user agents” condition has been met - No rules

10.3 AAA Side-by-side text. Obsolete, the “until user agents” condition has been met - No rules

10.4 AAA Empty controls. Obsolete, the “until user agents” condition has been met - No rules

10.5 AAA Adjacent links. Obsolete, the “until user agents” condition has been met - No rules

11. Use W3C technologies and guidelines

11.1 AA Use W3C technologies - No rules

11.2 AA Avoid deprecated features - No rules

11.3 AAA Content negotiation - No rules

11.4 A Text only page - No rules

12. Provide context and orientation information

12.1 A Frame titles - 3 rules

• Frame has no accessible name (HTML)
• Frame title is frame file name (HTML)
• Frame title must describe function (HTML)

12.2 AA Frame descriptions - No rules

12.3 AA Divide blocks - 3 rules

• Page with no headings (PDF and HTML)
• fieldset without legend (HTML)
• fieldset with invalid legend (HTML)

12.4 AA Control labels - 1 rule

• label is blank (HTML)

13. Provide clear navigation mechanisms

13.1 AA Link labels - 3 rules

• HTML link has no accessible name (HTML)
• Ambiguous link text (PDF and HTML)
• Same link text goes to different pages (HTML)

13.2 AA Metadata - 3 rules

• Document title missing (PDF and HTML)
• Document title is blank (PDF and HTML)
• Document title is placeholder (PDF and HTML)

13.3 AA Site maps - 1 rule

• Provide multiple ways to reach page (HTML)

13.4 AA Consistent navigation - No rules

13.5 AAA Navigation bars - No rules

13.6 AAA Group related links - 1 rule

• Broken skip link (HTML)

13.7 AAA Search - No rules

13.8 AAA Front load content - No rules

13.9 AAA Document collections - No rules

13.10 AAA Skip ASCII art - No rules

14. Ensure that documents are clear and simple

14.1 A Clear and simple language - 1 rule

• Page is hard to read (HTML)

14.2 AAA Supplement text - No rules

14.2 AAA Consistent style - No rules