Getting Started
What is FAE?
- The Functional Accessibility Evaluator (FAE) 2.3 analyzes web pages for requirements defined by the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria.
- FAE and AInspector for Firefox use the OpenA11y Evaluation Library rules and rulesets. Every rule used in FAE 2.3 references a primary WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion requirement.
- The rules are based on the Authoring Practices of the W3C Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA) and HTML5 specifications
- The rules used in FAE and AInspector have been developed over six years through the work of the OpenA11y Accessibility Task Force and feedback from users of FAE and AInspector for Firefox. The OpenA11y Evaluation Library rules and rulesets and are based on the Level A and AA success criteria defined in W3C Web Content Guidelines 2.0 using best practices for implementing accessibility defined in the W3C ARIA Authoring Practices and the W3C ARIA in HTML specifications.
- FAE is designed to be used in conjunction with AInspector for Firefox and Accessibility Bookmarklets to help people understand the accessibility features, issues and potential issues of a web resource.
Running the Evaluator
The “Run FAE” page provides a form for specifying the following analysis parameters:
Input | Description |
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URL |
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Report Title |
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Depth of Evaluation |
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Follow Links in |
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Ruleset |
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Maximum Pages |
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After successfully completing the analysis, FAE displays the Summary Report, which provides a high-level view of the evaluation results, and places a link to this report in the Archived Reports list. This list includes additional report information such as the analysis date/time, the number of pages analyzed, the report title, the starting URL and the depth of evaluation.
Rule Categories
FAE organizes the analysis of documents based on the following rule categories:
Category | Definition |
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Landmarks | Use ARIA landmark roles to structure the content of each page and identify major sections of content, thus making them more findable and navigable. The use of landmarks will, in many cases, reflect the visual styling and page layouts that web designers utilize to set apart various sections of content. |
Headings | Use heading elements (H1-H6) to provide appropriate labels for landmarks, and to identify subsections of content within landmarks. |
Styles/Content | Use proper HTML markup to identify the semantics and language of text content. Ensure that text is readable by adhering to color contrast guidelines, and that information is not conveyed solely by the use of color, shape, location or sound. |
Images | Provide appropriate text alternatives for static images and graphics. |
Links | Use link text that properly describes the target of each link. Ensure consistency and uniqueness for links that are usable, predictable and understandable. |
Tables | Provide table captions or other meta-information as needed. Provide row and column header references for data cells of data tables. Ensure that tables used for layout properly linearize text content. |
Forms | Provide meaningful labels for form elements and usable and understandable error feedback as needed. |
Widgets/Scripts | Use appropriate event handlers on elements to support native interactivity using JavaScript. Ensure that custom widgets created using JavaScript support keyboard interaction and include ARIA markup to describe their roles, properties and states. |
Audio/Video | Provide appropriate text transcripts, captions or audio descriptions for elements used in rendering audio and video content. |
Keyboard | Provide logical and sequential keyboard navigation among interactive elements such as links and form controls. Use standard models of keyboard interaction for custom widgets. |
Timing | Eliminate accessibility problems caused by time limits on input and by content that moves, scrolls, flashes or auto-updates. |
Site Navigation | Ensure the consistent labeling and ordering of recurrent page sections across all pages within a website. Provide a meaningful title for each page within a website. |
Announcements and Discussion E-mail Lists
- Discussion
- The Open Accessibility Alliance Tools discussion list is for people who would like to have more direct participation in setting the direction for development of FAE 2.3 and discuss issues with the development team. The group also holds a monthly teleconference to discuss user and development issues.
Report an Issue
- OpenA11y Evaluation Library Rulesets and Rules Issues List.
- Request a new rule.
- Report a bug or enhancement to an existing rule (note: Please include the rule title).
- FAE Issues List
- Request a new feature for FAE.
- Report a bug or enhancement to an existing feature of FAE.
- note: Please include URLs to websites or to FAE reports when possible to help clarify an issue.
Linking Directly to FAE
It is possible to place a link to FAE on a web page that, when selected, causes FAE to evaluate the page and display the resulting Summary Report. The following HTML snippet should be used:
<a href="https://fae.disability.illinois.edu/evaluate/link/">Check with FAE</a>