Success Criteria 2.1.1

I don’t think success criteria 2.1.1 says what you think it means.  In particular, the (arguably torturous) phrase “where the task requires analog, time-dependant input.”

>From Understanding WCAG 2.0, the intent statement makes clear what is meant:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/WD-UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20-20051216/Overview.html#keyboard-operation-keyboard-operable
“The purpose of this success criterion is to ensure that, wherever possible, content can be operated through a keyboard or keyboard interface.”

>From the intent, I equate that this success criteria is similar to Section 508 1194.21(a):
“When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually.”

The Understanding WCAG 2.0 document uses a watercolor application as something that would fall outside the scope of 2.1.1.  I submit that *any* drawing application *should* similarly be covered by both 1194.21(a) and sc 2.1.1.  As written, the sc fails to apply to a sufficient range of situations.  The curved lines and shapes typically created by a mouse with a simple paint package *are* digital (not analog) and since the lines and shapes *may* be constructed at leisure, the input is *not* time-dependant.  This would be nearly an impossible task to make operable through a keyboard (and is not required to be so under 1194.21(a)).

As an aside, errata for glossary submitted earlier has not been corrected with 16 December Editor’s draft.  This is still an open issue, but I noted that the associated URI in bugzillia is somewhat misleading.
http://trace.wisc.edu/bugzilla_wcag/show_bug.cgi?id=1755#C0
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-comments-wcag20/2005Nov/0008.html

Received on Tuesday, 20 December 2005 17:59:52 UTC