first draft, user agent impact matrix

Hello everyone,

Below is the first draft of the user agent impact matrix. This was a bit
more complicated then I first thought, as you will see when you come across
my question marks.. This matrix is based on the August 27, 1999 version of
the user agent checklist,
http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/WAI-USERAGENT-19990827/full-checklist.html . First
of all I'd like to say that I was tempted to say that just about every
checkpoint could affect users with any and all disabilities. I am afraid
that we might run into trouble trying to single out a particular user group.  

So despite a bit of a nagging feeling I went ahead and took a stab a
creating the impact matrix that appears in text below and in an attached
HTML table. I created the table by basically editing the user agent
guidelines checklist but my formatting may not be totally correct.

 I attempted to model this matrix after the content guidelines impact
matrix http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/NOTE-WCAG-impact-matrix-19990810 . After
each checkpoint follows a list of those disability groups who I believe
would be primarily affected by this checkpoint. Possible choices, taken
from the content guidelines matrix, include deaf, hard of heard, blindness,
low vision, color deficit, cognitive and learning, and physical. The list
of disabilities is followed by a list of input and output technologies that
would most likely be affected by the checkpoint. Input technologies include
all types of keyboards and voice. I guess I didn't include pointing
devices, should I have?  Output technologies include visual displays,
magnified or small screens, speech, braille and audio.  I don't think I
listed braille in as many places as I should have listed it. Some of these
things are popping into my head as I write this note.

  If   N A appears, it means that I believe that this checkpoint would not
affect the input technology used, though device independence is still
assumed. For example, checkpoint 5.3 Allow the user to control foreground
color, shouldn't have an affect on the input device used, though the user
should be able to change the foreground color using any input device.

Rather than have a matrix, we may just want to state in paragraph form who
these checkpoints will most likely affect and how, especially if we expect
someone unfamiliar with users with disabilities to be able to use this
document. 

Kitch


In General (Priority 1)

 Checkpoint: 3.1 Ensure that the user has access to document content,
including alternative representations of content.
Disability: All; especially blindness, low vision, deafness, hard of
hearing, cognitive/learning, Photo sensitive (e.g. descriptions of
animations) 
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 3.2 For dependent user agents only. Ensure that the user has
access to the content of an element selected by the user.
Disability: All; (especially blindness, low vision??)
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 3.3 For dependent user agents only. Render content according to
natural language identification. For unsupported natural languages, notify
the user of language changes when configured to do so.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 4.5 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of audio captions.
Disability: Deafness, Hard of Hearing, cognitive/learning [Low vision,
blindness - to avoid interference]
Input: NA
Output: audio, visual [speech, braille, magnified/ small screen]

Checkpoint: 12.1 Provide a version of the product documentation that
conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 12.2 Ensure that all user agent functionalities that promote
accessibility are documented.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

User Interface (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 4.6 Allow the user to turn on and off animated or blinking text.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning, photosensitive
Input: NA
Output: visual, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 4.7 Allow the user to turn on and off animations and blinking
images.
Disability: Blindness,
Input: NA
Output: visual, braille, speech, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 4.9 Allow the user to turn on and off support for user style
sheets.
Disability: All
Input: NA
Output: All

Checkpoint: 4.10 Allow the user to turn on and off support for author style
sheets.
Disability: All
Input: NA
Output: All

Checkpoint: 4.11 Allow the user to turn on and off support for spawned
windows.
Disability: Blindness, low vision,
Input: NA
Output: Visual, speech, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 5.1 Allow the user to control font family.
Disability: All; especially low vision
Input: NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 5.2 Allow the user to control the size of text.
Disability: All, especially low vision
Input: NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen, speech

Checkpoint: 5.3 Allow the user to control foreground color.
Disability: Color deficit, low vision, cognitive/learning
Input: NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen


Checkpoint: 5.4 Allow the user to control background color.
Disability: Color deficit, Low vision, cognitive/learning
Input: NA 
Output: visual, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 5.5 Allow the user to control selection highlighting (e.g.,
foreground and background color).
Disability: Color deficit, Low vision, cognitive/learning

Input: NA 
Output: visual, magnified/small screen , speech

 
Checkpoint: 5.6 Allow the user to control focus highlighting (e.g.,
foreground and background color).
Disability: Color deficit, Low vision, cognitive/learning

Input:  NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen , speech
 
Checkpoint: 5.14 Allow the user to control speech playback rate.
Disability: Blindness, cognitive/learning, hard of hearing
Input:   NA
Output: Speech 

Checkpoint: 8.1 Allow the user to navigate viewports (including frames).
Disability: All
Input: All 
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 8.2 For user agents that offer a browsing history mechanism,
when the user returns to a previous view, restore the point of regard in
the viewport.
Disability: All
Input: NA 
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 9.1 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying
(through a standard interface where available) the current viewport,
selection, and focus.
Disability: All; (or visual, magnified/small screen??)
Input: NA
Output: All (Does highlighting imply visual only interfaces?)


Keyboard Support (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 2.1 By default and without additional customization, ensure
that all functionalities offered by the user agent are accessible using the
keyboard.
Disability: Blindness, physical, low vision
Input: keyboards, voice 
Output: NA

 
Checkpoint: 2.2 Provide documentation on default keyboard commands and
include with user agent documentation and/or user help system.
Disability: All; especially blindness, physical, low vision
Input:   keyboards, voice
Output: NA

Checkpoint: 2.3 Provide information to the user about the current keyboard
configuration.
Disability: All: especially blindness, physical, low vision
Input: keyboards, voice 
Output:   NA

Device Independence (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 1.1 Ensure that all functionalities offered through the user
interface may be operated through standard input device APIs supported by
the operating system.
Disability: All
Input: All 
Output: NA

Checkpoint: 1.2 Ensure that the user can interact with all active elements
of a document in a device independent manner.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 1.3 Ensure that the user can install the user agent software in
a device independent manner.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 1.4 Ensure that the user can configure the user agent in a
device independent manner.
Disability:   All
Input: All
Output:  All

Checkpoint: 1.5 Ensure that the user can access user agent documentation in
a device independent manner.
Disability: All 
Input: NA
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 1.6 Ensure that all messages to the user (e.g., warnings,
errors, etc.) are available through standard output device APIs supported
by the operating system.
Disability:  All
Input: All 
Output: All

For Tables (Priority 1)
Checkpoint: 8.3 For dependent user agents only. Allow the user to navigate
just among table cells of a table (notably left and right within a row and
up and down within a column).
Disability: Blindness, : low vision, physical??
Input: keyboards, voice
Output: speech, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 9.8 For dependent user agents only. Provide access to header
information for a selected table cell.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, physical
Input: NA??
Output: speech, braille, magnified/small screen

 
For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 4.1 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of images.
Disability:  Low vision, cognitive/learning, blindness
Input: NA 
Output: Visual, magnified/small screen, speech

Checkpoint: 4.2 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of background
images.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning
Input: NA 
Output:  Visual, magnified/small screen, speech

 For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 3.4 Provide time-independent access to time-dependent active
elements or allow the user to control the timing of changes.
Disability: All
Input: All 
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 3.7 Allow the user to specify that description tracks (e.g.,
caption, auditory description, video of sign language, etc.) be rendered at
the same time as audio and video tracks.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, deafness, hard of hearing,
cognitive/learning
Input: NA 
Output: visual, magnified/small screen, speech, braille

Checkpoint: 3.8 If a technology allows for more than one description track
(e.g., caption, auditory description, video of sign language, etc.), allow
the user to choose from among the tracks.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, deafness, hard of hearing,
cognitive/learning (or All??
Input:  NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen, speech

Checkpoint: 3.9 If a technology allows for more than one audio track, allow
the user to choose from among tracks.
Disability: All??
Input: NA
Output: Audio

Checkpoint: 4.3 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of video.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning
Input:   NA
Output: Visual, magnified/small screen, speech

Checkpoint: 4.4 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of sound.
Disability: All
Input:   NA
Output: visual user agent with sound, audio, speech

Checkpoint: 5.8 Allow the user to control video frame rates.
Disability:  Low vision, cognitive/learning, photosensitive
Input:   NA
Output: visual, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 5.9 Allow the user to control the position of audio captions.
Disability: Deafness, Hard of hearing, cognitive learning, low vision
Input: NA 
Output: visual, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 5.11 Allow the user to control audio playback rate.
Disability: All; Blindness, low vision, cognitive learning
Input: NA 
Output: Audio 

 For Events, Applets, and Scripts (Priority 1)

Checkpoint: 4.8 Allow the user to turn on and off support for scripts and
applets.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 10.1 Provide information about document and viewport changes
(to users and through programming interfaces).
Disability:   Blindness, low vision??
Input:   NA
Output:  speech, magnified/small screen

For Standards and Conventions (Priority 1)
Checkpoint: 6.1 Use and provide accessible interfaces to other technologies.
Disability:   All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 6.2 Provide programmatic read and write access to user agent
functionalities and user interface controls (including selection and focus)
by using operating system and development language accessibility resources
and conventions.
Disability: All
Input: All
Output: All

Checkpoint: 6.3 Notify dependent user agents of changes to the document and
user interface controls (including selection and focus) by using operating
system and development language accessibility resources and conventions.
Disability:   All
Input: All 
Output: All

Checkpoint: 6.4 For graphical desktop browsers only. Comply with W3C
Document Object Model specifications and export interfaces defined by those
specifications.
Disability:   All
Input: All 
Output: All

Checkpoint: 7.1 Implement the accessibility features defined for supported
specifications.
Disability: All 
Input: All 
Output: All

In General (Priority 2)
Checkpoint: 3.5 When no alternative text representation has been specified,
indicate what type of object is present.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input:   NA
Output: Speech, magnified/small screen 

Checkpoint: 8.4 Allow the user to navigate just among all active elements
in the document.
Disability: All 
Input: All 
Output: All (or NA??) 

Checkpoint: 8.5 Allow the user to search for rendered text content,
including alternative text content.
Disability: All, especially blindness, low vision, cognitive learning 
Input: NA 
Output: All, especially speech, magnified/small screen, braille, (audio -
closed captions??)

Checkpoint: 8.6 Allow the user to navigate the document structure.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, phyiscal (cognitive/learning??)
Input: keyboards, voice
Output: visual, speech, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 9.4 Describe a selected element's context within a document
(e.g., numerical or relative position).
Disability:   Blindness, low vision
Input: keyboard, voice
Output:   speech, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 12.3 Describe product features known to promote accessibility
in a section of the product documentation.
Disability: All
Input: NA 
Output: All 

User Interface (Priority 2)
Checkpoint: 5.15 Allow the user to control speech volume, pitch, gender and
other articulation characteristics.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning, Hard of hearing
Input: NA 
Output: Speech

Checkpoint: 9.3 For dependent user agents only. Allow the user to view a
document outline constructed from its structural elements (e.g., from
header and list elements).
Disability:   Blindness, low vision, (cognitive learning??)
Input:   NA
Output: visual, speech, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 10.2 Ensure that when the selection or focus changes, it is in
the viewport after the change.
Disability:   All
Input: NA 
Output: Visual, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 11.1 Allow the user to configure the user agent in named
profiles that may be shared (by other users or software).
Disability: All
Input: All 
Output: All

Keyboard Support (Priority 2)

Checkpoint: 2.4 Allow the user to configure the keystrokes used to activate
user agent functionalities. Wherever possible, allow single key activation
of functions.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, physical
Input: Keyboards, voice
Output: NA 

Checkpoint: 2.5 Allow the user to turn on and off author-specified keyboard
configurations.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, physical
Input: Keyboards, voice 
Output: NA

Checkpoint: 2.6 Use platform conventions to indicate which keys activate
which user agent functionalities.
Disability: All
Input: Keyboards, voice
Output: All (Are there conventions for non-visual user agents???)

Checkpoint: 2.7 Avoid default keyboard configurations that interfere with
system conventions.
Disability:   All
Input:   Keyboards, voice
Output: NA

For Links (Priority 2)
Disability: Functional Limitations
Input: Input
Output: N/A

Checkpoint: 9.5 For a selected link, indicate whether following the link
will involve a fee.
Disability:   All??; especially blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning
Input: NA
Output: All?? 

For Frames (Priority 2)

Checkpoint: 4.12 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of frames.
Disability: Blindess, low vision, cognitive/learning, (physical?? -efficiency)
Input:   keyboard, voice
Output: magnified/small screen, speech, braille

Checkpoint: 5.16 When new windows or user interface components are spawned,
allow the user to control window size and position.
Disability: Low vision??
Input: NA 
Output: visual, magnified/small screen 

Checkpoint: 9.2 For dependent user agents only. Provide the user with
information about the number of viewports.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input:   NA
Output: speech, braille, magnified/small screen

For Forms (Priority 2)

Checkpoint: 9.10 Provide the user with access to any label explicitly
associated with a form control.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input: NA 
Output:   speech, braille, magnified/small screen

Checkpoint: 10.6 Prompt the user to confirm any form submission not
explicitly initiated by the user.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, physical??
Input: All
Output: All?? 

For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 2)

Checkpoint: 5.7 Allow the user to control animation rate.
Disability: Low vision, cognitive/learning, photosensitive
Input: NA 
Output:   visual, magnified/small display

For Synchronized Multimedia  (Priority 2)
 
Checkpoint: 5.10 Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind video.
Disability: All
Input: NA 
Output: visual 

Checkpoint: 5.12 When the user agent renders audio natively, allow the user
to control the audio volume.
Disability: All
Input: NA 
Output: Audio 

Checkpoint: 5.13 Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind audio.
Disability: All
Input: NA
Output: Audio

For Standards and Conventions (Priority 2)

Checkpoint: 6.5 For graphical desktop browsers only. Provide programmatic
exchange of information in a timely manner.
Disability:   All
Input: All
Output:   All

Checkpoint: 6.6 Follow operating system conventions and accessibility
settings. In particular, follow conventions for user interface design,
default keyboard configuration, product installation, and documentation.
Disability: All 
Input: All 
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 7.2 Support appropriate W3C Recommendations.
Disability:   All
Input: All 
Output: All 

Checkpoint: In General (Priority 3)
Checkpoint: 3.6 When alternative text has been specified explicitly as
empty (i.e., an empty string), render nothing.
Disability:  Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning
Input:  NA
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 8.7 Allow the user to configure structured navigation.
Disability: Blindness, low vision, cognitive/learning??
Input:   All
Output:   All

Checkpoint: 9.7 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying
(through a standard interface where available) active elements of a document.
Disability: blindness, low vision, physical
Input: NA
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 10.4 When loading a resource (e.g., document, video clip, audio
clip, etc.) indicate what portion of the resource has loaded and whether
loading has stalled.
Disability: All; especially  blindness, low vision??
Input:  
Output:  

Checkpoint: 10.5 Indicate the relative position of the viewport in a
resource (e.g., the percentage of the document that has been viewed, the
percentage of an audio clip that has been played, etc.).
Disability:   All
Input: NA 
Output: All

User Interface (Priority 3)
Checkpoint: 4.13 Allow the user to turn on and off author-specified page
forwards that occur after a time delay and without user intervention.
Disability:   Blindness, low vision
Input:  NA
Output: All 

Checkpoint: 4.14 Allow the user to turn on and off automatic page refresh.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input:  
Output:  

Checkpoint: 9.11 Maintain consistent user agent behavior and default
configurations between software releases. Consistency is less important
than accessibility and adoption of system conventions.
Disability: All
Input: All 
Output: All

Checkpoint: 11.2 Allow the user to configure the graphical arrangement of
user interface controls.
Disability: Physical, low vision, blindness
Input: NA 
Output: Visual, magnified/small screen 


Keyboard Support (Priority 3)

Checkpoint: 2.8 Provide a default keyboard configuration for frequently
performed operations.
Disability: All; especially blindness, low vision, physical
Input: keyboards, voice 
Output:   NA

For Links (Priority 3)

Checkpoint: 9.6 For a selected link, provide information to help the user
decide whether to follow the link.
Disability: All; especially blindness, low vision
Input:   NA
Output: All

For Tables (Priority 3)

Checkpoint: 9.9 For dependent user agents only. Indicate the row and column
dimensions of a selected table.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input: NA 
Output: speech, braille 

 For Events, Applets, and Scripts(Priority 3)

Checkpoint: 10.3 Allow the user to selectively turn on and off notification
of common types of document and viewport changes.
Disability: Blindness, low vision
Input:  NA
Output: ???