Unless otherwise noted, all definitions are from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the web.

Any key term that could be referenced under a different name will be cross referenced in parenthesis and listed twice.

A

alt text (text alternative)

Text that is used in place of non-text content for those who cannot view the non-text content. Non-text content includes such things as pictures, charts, applets, audio files, etc.

alternative for time-based media (transcript)

Document including correctly sequenced text descriptions of time-based visual and auditory information and providing a means for achieving the outcomes of any time-based interaction.

Note: A screenplay used to create the synchronized media content would meet this definition only if it was corrected to accurately represent the final synchronized media after editing.

audio description

Narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone.

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C

captions

Synchronized visual and/or text alternative for both speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the media content.

Note: Captions are similar to dialogue-only subtitles except captions convey not only the content of spoken dialogue, but also equivalents for non-dialogue audio information needed to understand the program content, including sound effects, music, laughter, speaker identification and location.

complex image (infographic)

Complex images, also referred to as infographics, contain substantial information — more than can be conveyed in a short phrase or sentence. These typically include, but are not limited to, graphs, charts, flow charts, diagrams, and illustrations.

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H

heading

Headings communicate the organization of the content on the page. Web browsers, plug-ins, and assistive technologies can use them to provide in-page navigation. HTML defines six levels of headings. The heading elements are H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 with H1 being the highest (or most important) level and H6 the least.

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I

infographic (complex image)

Infographics, also referred to as complex images, contain substantial information — more than can be conveyed in a short phrase or sentence. These typically include, but are not limited to, graphs, charts, flow charts, diagrams, and illustrations.

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L

link text (link phrase)

A link (or hyperlink, or Web link) is a connection from one Web resource to another. The default behavior associated with a link is the retrieval of another Web resource (e.g., an image, a video clip, a sound bite, a program, an HTML document, an element within an HTML document, etc.).

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T

text alternative (alt text)

Text that is used in place of non-text content for those who cannot view the non-text content. Non-text content includes such things as pictures, charts, applets, audio files, etc.

transcript (alternative for time-based media)

Document including correctly sequenced text descriptions of time-based visual and auditory information and providing a means for achieving the outcomes of any time-based interaction.

Note: A screenplay used to create the synchronized media content would meet this definition only if it was corrected to accurately represent the final synchronized media after editing.

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