48-Hour Call for Consensus (CfC): Vibration API Comment

Colleagues:

This is a Call for Consensus (CfC) to the Accessible Platform
Architectures (APA) Working Group on our review of the Vibration API
specification:

https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/PER-vibration-20160818/


This CfC follows on APA Action-2084:

http://www.w3.org/WAI/APA/track/actions/2084


*	Proposed Comment

The Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group has found no
specific problem in the Vibration API specification itself. However,
we do request addition of the following section to this specification
because of the need to properly support access to web content for users
who are actually impeded from using web content effectively by vibrating devices.


Accessibility Impact Statement

The Vibration API allows applications to send a silent notification to a
user in response to an event.  To date vibration seems generally
associated with notifications and not as an augmenting modality for
enhancing interaction with touch interfaces.  We expect that as Web
developers discover the use of Vibration beyond notification, a variety
of creative applications of vibration will emerge.

While vibration is a powerful and effective medium of communication for
many users, there are users that need to disable and/or control their
deviceā€™s vibration element at a global level. For instance, a person
with Attention Deficit Disorder may need to block vibrations to avoid
distractions. Also, a person with Epilepsy may have an application that
is detecting vibrations for tracking symptoms.

For these reasons, the user agent SHOULD inform the user when the API is
being used and provide a mechanism to disable the API (effectively
no-op), on a per-origin basis or globally.


Note:
For example, an implementation might abort the algorithm because no
vibration hardware is present, the user has set a preference indicating
that pages at a given origin should never be able to vibrate the device,
the user has disabled vibration at a global level, or an implementation
might cap the total amount of time a page may cause the device to
vibrate and reject requests in excess of this limit.


*	ACTION TO TAKE

This CfC is now open for objection, comment, as well as statements of
support via email. Silence will be interpreted as support, though
messages of support are certainly welcome.

If you object to this proposed action, or have comments concerning this
proposal, please respond by replying on list to this message no later
than 23:59 (Midnight) Boston Time, Friday 16 September.

Janina

-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Received on Wednesday, 14 September 2016 20:00:02 UTC