Comment LC-1021

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Comment 3:

Source: http://www.w3.org/mid/000901c69538$2e394450$f4c9b23a@tkhcomputer
(Issue ID: LC-1021)

Cognitive disabilities - People with cognitive disabilities are unfairly
discriminated against within WCAG2. I believe this is due to the usability
and testability requirements. It is generally accepted (and one chair has
said so explicitly) that requirements that assist people with cognitive
disabilities are often general usability techniques. Criteria that assist
people with cognitive disabilities is more likely to fall foul of the
requirement for testability than other criteria, simply because these
criteria recommend changes to the way content is written, not how a site is
coded. For example, in WCAG1 Checkpoint 14.1 - Use the clearest and simplest
language appropriate for a site's content - still has no clear equivalent in
WCAG2 and partiallymaps to Level 3success criteria.

Proposed Change:

Set up a specific taskforce within WCAG WG to identify success criteria that
should be added to ensure WCAG2 addresses the needs of people with cognitive
disabilities (I volunteer to be a part of, or to head up, this taskforce),
or comply with Lisa Seeman's suggestions in her formal objection (which I
have cosigned)

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Response from Working Group:
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We have added language to the Introduction, the Conformance section, and the
Quick Reference to highlight the fact that WCAG 2 only addresses some of the
needs of people with cognitive, learning, and language disabilities, and to
call out the need for more research in this area. WAI is exploring ways in
which to support and encourage work in this important area.

We have added some best practices for cognitive, learning, and language
disabilities as advisory techniques, and we have proposed 3 new success
criteria in this area.

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Response from Working Group:
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I still do not believe that the WG is doing enough in the area of cognitive
disability and I believe this is to do with both the testability and
usability requirements (but mostly the former). The recent taskforce and
subsequent changes to WCAG2 do not actually assist people with cognitive
disabilities.

Received on Sunday, 24 June 2007 13:04:04 UTC