From...

by Tom Diederich

(IDG) -- In a bid to make the Internet a truly universal experience, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has announced guidelines aimed at making Web sites more accessible to people with disabilities.

The international standards organization said the guidelines detail accessibility design principles, such as the need to provide equivalent alternatives for graphics and sound. A checklist of techniques that can be used accompanies each principal -- for example, providing captions alongside audio files for the hearing impaired.

In addition to helping the handicapped, the W3C said its guidelines would make Web content more available to people accessing the Web via cellular phones, in an automobile or using other non-PC devices. The accessibility recommendations should also help Web surfers working under adverse conditions -- such as noisy surroundings or in very bright light, the W3C said.