Understanding Accessibility
by Vivienne Trulock
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Guideline 6. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
Checkpoint 6.3 - Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page
How do I do it?
Take care when using scripts. Pages must still 'work' when scripts (javascript) and applets are turned off. 'Work' in this case means that the information available when scripts are enabled must still be available if they are not, although the page may look and act differently. If this is not possible, an alternative page should be supplied.
How do I check that it meets the WCAG criteria?
If scripts are disabled the page should function equally well. To test this, disable the Java and Javascript options.
- Internet Explorer: ‘Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Scripting Options’
- Netscape: Tools > Options > Site Controls > Enable Java & Enable Javascript
- Firefox: Tools > Options > Content > Enable Java & Enable Javascript
If the page retains all its functionality the page will have passed. If there are changes to the page which result in the page being less usable, such as navigation not being accessible because drop down menus which used javascript no longer function, the page will have failed.
