MEDIA
Plan access before recording
Understand captions, transcripts, description and player behavior. Build a plan for your media type and target level.
ACCESSIBILITY / KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY
Find the reason.
Apply it to the task.
Explore twelve common decisions, see an example and open the source behind the guidance. Then carry what you learn into a practical worksheet or writing tool.
Three areas to explore more deeply
COGNITIVE ACCESSIBILITY
Make the next step clear
Reduce memory demands, explain the action and review messages with the people who use them.
DOCUMENTS
Review the published result
Check source structure, PDF export and presentation reading order. Record findings for the format you publish.
Start with a question
Requirement summaries identify a criterion and level. Source tutorials explain possible approaches. Supplemental guidance and testing methods support a broader review; they do not create additional WCAG requirements.
12 questions available.
No matching questions. Clear the filters or try a broader term.
Images / Image purpose
When should an image have an empty alternative?
An empty alt attribute can be appropriate when an image adds no information or function, or when equivalent accessible content already conveys its relevant meaning. A missing attribute is a different source state. Check the image in its actual context, especially inside a link or button.
Example: When should an image have an empty alternative?
A wave pattern beside a complete course announcement adds atmosphere. A photograph showing an entrance ramp contributes information to a report about boarding. The decision follows the purpose, not the file type.
Source: W3C WAI image decision tree
Images / Structured equivalents
Is a one-sentence chart summary enough?
A short alternative identifies a complex graphic. Put the information needed to understand it in a discoverable full description, often including values, relationships, scales and a data table. A trend alone may omit details needed for the reader’s task.
Example: Is a one-sentence chart summary enough?
“Participation increased” does not tell a coordinator how many chairs to prepare. Keep the relevant monthly counts available in text, and explain the date range and any missing data.
Source: W3C WAI complex images
Media / Different ways to access media
Can a transcript replace captions?
Captions synchronize speech and meaningful sounds with the media. A transcript provides a separate text version. They serve different uses; a transcript does not automatically satisfy a requirement for synchronized captions. Select the applicable media type and conformance level before deciding what to produce.
Example: Can a transcript replace captions?
A transcript lets someone search a recorded lesson. Captions let someone follow the same lesson while watching a demonstration. Plan both when those uses matter, then check the applicable requirements.
Media / WCAG 2.2.2 · A
When does moving content need a pause control?
For nonessential moving, blinking or scrolling information, the criterion applies when it starts automatically, lasts more than five seconds and appears alongside other content. Automatically updating information has a separate rule with no five-second allowance. Read the full conditions and exceptions.
Example: When does moving content need a pause control?
A looping announcement beside a registration form needs attention during the form task. A control that pauses only while it keeps keyboard focus prevents the person from using the rest of the page while paused.
Source: Understanding Pause, Stop, Hide
Content / Meaning and structure
Does large bold text count as a heading?
Visual styling alone does not provide the same structure as a real heading. Use meaningful headings to organize sections, with a hierarchy that reflects their relationships. Review the outline and the rendered page; appearance and structure both matter.
Example: Does large bold text count as a heading?
A course page groups Dates, Access arrangements and Registration under a main title. Give those sections actual headings so readers can locate them without reading every paragraph.
Source: W3C WAI writing guidance
Content / Supplemental good practice
How can instructions reduce memory demands?
Put needed information near the task, use familiar words, and make the next action clear. Break complex instructions into manageable steps and offer useful help. W3C cognitive accessibility guidance adds practices beyond WCAG conformance; a readability number cannot prove that a message works for its audience.
Example: How can instructions reduce memory demands?
Instead of asking someone to remember a code from a previous page, keep the reference available or offer an appropriate way to reuse it. Test the complete task with people who have different cognitive and learning needs.
Interaction / WCAG 2.4.4 · A
Must every link explain itself in isolation?
At Level A, the link’s purpose can be determined from its text together with programmatically determined context, subject to the criterion’s exception. Descriptive link text is often easier to use. Do not automatically fail a phrase without examining its context and accessible name.
Example: Must every link explain itself in isolation?
“Read more” beside several unrelated cards can become confusing. “Read the boarding guide” makes the destination clearer, including when someone reviews links outside the visual layout.
Interaction / WCAG 3.3.8 · AA
Why should login allow password tools and pasting?
Authentication should not require a cognitive-function test without an allowed alternative, assistance mechanism or exception. Password managers and pasting can reduce the need to remember or transcribe credentials. Review login, verification and recovery together, using the full criterion.
Example: Why should login allow password tools and pasting?
A login may accept a password manager, while the next screen blocks pasting a one-time code. Testing only the first screen misses a barrier in the same journey.
Testing / Evaluation method
Does a clean automated scan prove accessibility?
Automated tools can identify some problems and help repeat checks. They cannot determine all requirements or judge every text alternative and user journey. Investigate results, record the scope and combine methods with human review.
Example: Does a clean automated scan prove accessibility?
An image may have an alt attribute that says “image123”. A tool can find that text; a person still needs to decide whether it communicates the purpose of the image on that page.
Source: W3C WAI evaluation resources
Testing / Different test methods
Is pressing Tab the same as a screen-reader test?
Tab usually moves among focusable controls; it does not read every heading, paragraph or table. Keyboard testing and screen-reader reading/navigation reveal different things. Test operability, content structure, names, state and recovery using appropriate methods.
Example: Is pressing Tab the same as a screen-reader test?
A page can have reachable buttons while its section headings are only styled paragraphs. Follow the buttons with a keyboard, then examine how the content is exposed and navigated with a screen reader.
Documents / Publishing workflow
Does exporting a PDF preserve accessibility?
A well-structured source document helps, but the exported PDF still needs review. Check its tags, reading order, language, text alternatives, tables and controls as applicable. An export setting or automated checker alone does not establish that the result is usable.
Example: Does exporting a PDF preserve accessibility?
A slide title may look correct while reading order places it after a footer. Inspect the source and exported result; repairing one version does not automatically repair the other.
Documents / Text recognition and structure
Does OCR make a scanned document accessible?
Optical character recognition can make text available from a scan, but recognition errors and missing structure may remain. Verify the words, meaningful reading order and other accessibility information. If an editable source exists, improving that source can make future publishing easier.
Example: Does OCR make a scanned document accessible?
A scanned timetable can acquire selectable text while its columns are read in an unusable sequence. Review the schedule as structured information, not just as recognized characters.
Source: Section508.gov PDF guidance
Use the source with the example
Reviewed 15 September 2026. These are original teaching examples. They do not cover every exception, format or user need. Read the linked source and the full requirement before applying a conformance judgment.
WCAG 2.2 defines success criteria and conformance requirements. W3C Understanding documents, tutorials and cognitive accessibility supplements explain requirements or provide additional guidance. Section508.gov document resources are used here for authoring and testing techniques; legal applicability depends on the project.
Keep a record of the task, environment and evidence in the digital testing worksheet. Recheck knowledge when the standard, platform or content changes.