Recommendation 5.1.2 Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations
The New Zealand Web Standards 2.0 were released in March 2009 and replace the previous version, the New Zealand Government Web Standards 1.0 (below). See Meeting the standards for more information.
The Recommendation
Recommendation 5.1.2 Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations. Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page.
Guide to this recommendation
Information provided in as many formats as possible will assist the accessibility of the information being portrayed. Some users who have reading difficulties may not be able to read and/or pick up the information from a sequence at all, but comprehend what is being conveyed from an associated image, video and/or soundtrack.
This recommendation covers the W3C WAI checkpoint 14.2 for NZ government agencies.
Rationale for this recommendation
As with content on more conventional visual media such as books, magazines and television, assisting written text with images and/or a soundtrack (if possible) enhances the ability to portray what is being presented to the reader.
This also assists users with disabilities who find difficulty reading text alone, and users who have difficulty with the language used in textual passages because it is not their first language.
A wide variety of techniques can be used to provide supporting information, including animations, icons, graphs, video, recorded speech, synthesised speech, sound effects or sound alerts.
