Non-text Content

About

Version:	WCAG 2.0 and up
Number:	1.1.1
Level:	A
Applicability:	Images/Graphics/Charts Audio Video User Controls (buttons, sliders, etc.) Canvas
Requirement:	All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose, except for the situations listed below. Controls, Input If non-text content is a control or accepts user input, then it has a name that describes its purpose. (Refer to Success Criterion 4.1.2 for additional requirements for controls and content that accepts user input.) Time-Based Media If non-text content is time-based media, then text alternatives at least provide descriptive identification of the non-text content. (Refer to Guideline 1.2 for additional requirements for media.) Test If non-text content is a test or exercise that would be invalid if presented in text, then text alternatives at least provide descriptive identification of the non-text content. Sensory If non-text content is primarily intended to create a specific sensory experience, then text alternatives at least provide descriptive identification of the non-text content. CAPTCHA If the purpose of non-text content is to confirm that content is being accessed by a person rather than a computer, then text alternatives that identify and describe the purpose of the non-text content are provided, and alternative forms of CAPTCHA using output modes for different types of sensory perception are provided to accommodate different disabilities. Decoration, Formatting, Invisible If non-text content is pure decoration, is used only for visual formatting, or is not presented to users, then it is implemented in a way that it can be ignored by assistive technology.
Guidance:	Understanding Success Criterion 1.1.1 How to meet Success Criterion 1.1.1
Techniques:	ARIA6: Using aria-label to provide labels for objects ARIA9: Using aria-labelledby to concatenate a label from several text nodes ARIA10: Using aria-labelledby to provide a text alternative for non-text content C9: Using CSS to include decorative images G68: Providing a short text alternative that describes the purpose of live audio-only and live video-only content G73: Providing a long description in another location with a link to it that is immediately adjacent to the non-text content G74: Providing a long description in text near the non-text content, with a reference to the location of the long description in the short description G82: Providing a text alternative that identifies the purpose of the non-text content G92: Providing long description for non-text content that serves the same purpose and presents the same information G94: Providing short text alternative for non-text content that serves the same purpose and presents the same information as the non-text content G95: Providing short text alternatives that provide a brief description of the non-text content G100: Providing a short text alternative which is the accepted name or a descriptive name of the non-text content G143: Providing a text alternative that describes the purpose of the CAPTCHA G144: Ensuring that the Web Page contains another CAPTCHA serving the same purpose using a different modality G196: Using a text alternative on one item within a group of images that describes all items in the group H2: Combining adjacent image and text links for the same resource H24: Providing text alternatives for the area elements of image maps H30: Providing link text that describes the purpose of a link for anchor elements H35: Providing text alternatives on applet elements H36: Using alt attributes on images used as submit buttons H37: Using alt attributes on img elements H44: Using label elements to associate text labels with form controls H45: Using longdesc H53: Using the body of the object element H65: Using the title attribute to identify form controls when the label element cannot be used H67: Using null alt text and no title attribute on img elements for images that AT should ignore H86: Providing text alternatives for ASCII art, emoticons, and leetspeak

Purpose

The purpose of this success criterion is to ensure that users who cannot access non-textual content (such as graphics, charts, audio, and video) have access to the information contained in that content in textual form.

How to Meet

How to meet this requirement depends on the complexity of the information expressed. The requirements generally break down along the following lines:

For image content whose information can be conveyed in a sentence or less, authors only need to provide alternative text (e.g., in an alt attribute).
If the image information is more complicated (e.g., for charts and graphs), authors need to provide both a brief alternative text and an extended description.
For audio and video, a label is provided that gives the title or briefly describes the purpose (additional audio and video requirements, such as the need for transcripts or captions are covered under 1.2).
For user controls (e.g., buttons and sliders), a text alternative is required that describes the function of the control. The text alternative typically is a label.

Note that this success criterion only applies to non-text content that expresses information the reader needs to understand. Images that are included purely for aesthetic reasons (e.g., to decorate the start of a new section) do not require text alternatives. As visual readers gain nothing from these images, there is no need for non-visual readers to be made aware of them.

There is also an exception to this success criterion when providing a text alternative would invalidate the purpose of the content. For example, if an author includes a test that requires audio rendering of the question (e.g., to test spelling).

Additional Information

The following knowledge base pages provide more information about how to address this success criterion for publishing content: