{"id":97,"date":"2019-06-03T18:13:56","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T22:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/iwacc\/?post_type=chapter&p=97"},"modified":"2019-07-29T09:24:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T13:24:31","slug":"compliance-requirements","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/iwacc\/chapter\/compliance-requirements\/","title":{"raw":"Compliance Requirements","rendered":"Compliance Requirements"},"content":{"raw":"

Selecting a Level of Conformance<\/h2>\r\nEach level<\/strong> of accessibility can represent goals with which organizations and websites should aim to conform. Depending on the website \u2014 whether it\u2019s a site being retrofitted to improve its state of accessibility or if it\u2019s a new website being developed \u2014 the conformance goal may vary.\r\n\r\nAs you\u2019ll recall, Level A<\/strong> allows most people to access the content of a website. While Level A conformance is an honourable accomplishment, it is generally considered \u201cminimal conformance.\u201d If you are working with a limited budget (or no budget) this may be an acceptable level of accessibility. However, as mentioned earlier, it is generally accepted that most sites should strive for Level AA<\/strong> and, perhaps, should conform with a few of the Level AAA success criteria (defined below).\r\n\r\nIf you are working on a new website, Level AA should be the goal from the start. Assuming the developers know what needs to be done, there is very little extra effort required to jump from Level A to Level AA. If you are working with an existing site that is receiving an accessibility retrofit, then you may want to first aim for Level A, then with time resolve all Level AA issues. Generally, it is less costly to build a site to be accessible from the start than it is to build a site and retrofit it later to conform.\r\n\r\nLevel AAA conformance is unattainable for many websites. While it is possible to conform with some of the requirements at this level, they can often be counterproductive or unnecessary. Take for instance the reading level requirement (WCAG 2.0, SC 3.1.5<\/strong>). Public organizations will want to meet this guideline, reducing the reading level required to understand their website\u2019s content and thereby reaching the broadest audience possible. But for other sites that focus on a particular or highly educated audience, it may be impossible or even inadvisable to comply with this requirement. Imagine an advanced book in biomechanics written at the lower secondary school reading level required to satisfy this guideline. If it were possible, replacing the advanced terminology and jargon with low-level paraphrasing would likely make the content unusable by the intended audience.\r\n

Other Conformance Considerations<\/h2>\r\nIn addition to meeting all the Level A, AA, or AAA requirements, there are other conformance requirements to consider before being able to claim conformance at one of these levels:\r\n