Non-text Content
Summary:
WCAG 1.1.1, "Non-text Content," ensures that all non-text content on websites and apps is accessible to everyone, including users who are blind or visually impaired. It's crucial for conveying information presented in images, videos, and other non-textual forms.
What:
This criterion mandates that all non-text content (like images, charts, and audio) provides a text alternative. This allows the information to be accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Why:
Text alternatives help users who cannot see or interpret non-text content to understand its meaning. They ensure that the information conveyed by non-text elements is available to those relying on assistive technologies, like screen readers, or those with text-only browsers.
Examples and Scenarios:
- Images: Providing alt text descriptions for images on a website.
- Graphs and Charts: Providing textual summaries or data tables for complex visual information.
How to Comply:
- Websites: Use alt attributes for images and charts.
- Mobile Apps: Ensure all non-text elements in the app have equivalent text-based information.
- Software Applications: Include descriptions or annotations for non-text content within the software.
Exceptions:
- Decorative Elements: Purely decorative objects that don't add information or context should be set to "null" alt text, telling assistive technologies to ignore them.
- CAPTCHA: Text alternatives that would invalidate the purpose of CAPTCHA aren't required, but alternative forms of CAPTCHA should be available.
- Complex Items: For items like charts where text alternatives may not fully convey all information, providing a simplified summary or data table can be an alternative.