Overview of Design Principles
The overall goal is to create Web content that is perceivable, operable and understandable by the broadest possible range of users and compatible with their wide range of assistive technologies, now and in the future. The basic principles are expressed in the 4 guidelines:
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Perceivable . Ensure that all content can be presented in form(s) that can be perceived by any user - except those aspects of the content that cannot be expressed in words.
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Operable . Ensure that the interface elements in the content are operable by any user.
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Understandable . Make it as easy as possible to understand the content and controls.
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Robust . Use Web technologies that maximize the ability of the content to work with current and future accessibility technologies and user agents.
Accessible Web content benefits a variety of people, not just people with disabilities. In the physical world, ramps are used by bicycles, people pushing strollers, and people in wheelchairs. Similarly, accessible Web content is beneficial to a variety of people with and without disabilities. For example, people who are temporarily operating under constrained conditions like operating in a noisy environment where they can not hear well at all, or driving their car where their eyes are busy would benefit from an accessible site. Likewise, a search engine can find a famous quote in a movie if the movie is captioned.