Accessibility and Amaya

Producing Accessible content

Amaya can be used to produce content that conforms to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Some features, such as the requirement for an alt attribute for images and imagemap areas are already built in - it is impossible to add an image until it has alternative text. Amaya also automatically prduces valid W3C compliant markup. Other features, such as appropriate long descriptions and captioning must be done by the author through the attributes menus or structure menus.

The Amaya help documentation currently describes how to use a few individual HTML elements and as that documentation is written it will include help on how to ensure that the pages produced are accessible. In the meantime the most thorough guidelines are the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative also publishes "Quick Tips to make accessible Web sites", ten handy reminders which are:

• Images & animations. Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
• Image maps. Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots.
• Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
• Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid click here.
• Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
• Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
• Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
• Frames. Use NOFRAMES and meaningful titles.
• Tables. Make line by line reading sensible. Summarize.
• Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT.

Accessibility of Amaya

Amaya's accessibility for people with disabilities is being improved with each release. Currently it is possible to perform most functions in Amaya without using a mouse, and to do most editing functions (except entering text) without using the keyboard.

Accessibility features in the current version include:

• Alternate, Link, Structure and Table of Contents views that can be navigated and edited, and are all synchronized to the Formatted view..
• Source editing.
• Adding, removing and editing multiple stylesheets dynamically, including a user stylesheet.
• Keyboard activation of commands, and links and form controls. (Although some further features, like selecting a link target, still require a mouse)