[bcab] Re: Accessibility considerations

Karina,
 
    Yes, colour contrast is indeed considered in terms of web accessibility.
As Vince says, Checkpoint 2.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG) cover this very point.
 
    The guidelines can be read here:
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
 
    Under this checkpoint, the colour contrast within images is given a
Priority 2 level, the intermediate level of accessibility. Whilst colour
contrast for text is given a Priority 3 level, the most advanced level of
accessibility under the guidelines.
 
    The reason for the difference in priority level is because it should be
possible to ignore colours in text, by configuring your browser. Images on
the other hand are set in stone.
 
    It's also this difference that makes tools such as WebXact unable to
definitively tell whether colours contrast properly. 
http://webxact.watchfire.com/
 
    They will often flag colour contrast as a warning, but because they
can't pick the colour codes out from images, it's impossible for them to
tell how good the contrast is.
 
    There are several tools you can, and should, use to test for colour
contrast. If you're comparing the colours in images, then you may need to
find a graphics package that will allow you to determine the colour codes
used. Any accessibility expert and/or web developer will have access to such
an application.
 
    There's the Vision Australia colour analyser:
http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=628
 
    Another one at Juicy Studio:
http://juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.php
 
    or one on my own website:
http://www.tink.co.uk/content/colour_checker.php
 
    Hope this helps.
 
Regards,
Léonie.  


  _____  

From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Karina Gregory
Sent: 24 February 2007 17:51
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Accessibility considerations


Hi all, 
 
I've just come across a website that claims to have WAI - AA and WCAG 1.0
having a symbol in the corner of ths creen.  The thing that I don't agree
with is the colour contrast - white text on a light blue background.  My
question is that when websites are tested by an accessibility
website/program for accessibility, is colour contrast taken into
consideration?  Surely the colour schemes to be used can be picked up from
the code.  If it isn't already taken into consideration, maybe it could be i
nthe future by specifying to the accessibility tool what is good contrast
and what is bad contrast.  Do you follow what I'm saying?  For example, if
the tool was told that white text on a light blue background was not good
contrast then it woud be able to reject websites that were accessed using
this method.  
 
I'm interested in hearing the views of others on this topic. 
 
Thanks.
 
Karina

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