Re: HTML 5 Accessibility Mappings

Hi Rich,

Thanks. I want to hash this out for clarity and ideas.

So I think one thing (call it "A") you are proposing is that the a web 
developer can do this:

1. <input type="checkbox" aria-posinset="5">

aria-posinset is not listed in the "Global States and Properties", but 
the fact that this HTML element is in all other respects semantically 
equivalent to:

2. <div role="checkbox" aria-posinset="5">

means we should allow the aria-posinset to work.

I'm fine with A (and it should already work in gecko because we don't 
require the role attribute).

The part of the proposal (call it "B") where we expose a role object 
attribute for 1 when there was no author supplied role attribute is the 
part I'm unsure about. It is this part I want a few AT vendor's feedback 
on. I'm fine with it pending positive feedback :)

One advantage might be that if AT end up looking to the role object 
attribute first (before the enumerated desktop role), then we can have a 
greater path to extensibility*.

* Note: sort of like how gecko already naughtily exposes a BSTR MSAA 
role for cases where there is no good enumerated role mapping. This is 
usually the element tag name.

Cheers,
David

On 02/02/11 1:31 PM, Richard Schwerdtfeger wrote:
>
> Yes, we is the browser manufacturer. We are defining the HTML to API 
> mappings.
>
> What I am saying is you have:
>
> <input type="checkbox"> this has an aria semantic of checkbox. So, 
> simply pass the role="checkbox" name value pair in the object 
> properties to the AT
>
> same for:
>
> <tr> this has an aria semantic of "row". So, simply pass the 
> role="row" name value pair in the object properties to the AT
>
> However,
>
> For those elements that have NO ARIA equivalent like <details> pass 
> the role="details" name value pair. In other words you pass the tag 
> name as the role.
>
> I want to avoid requiring the author having to place roles on elements 
> with equivalent pre-defined samantics and I want the AT not to have to 
> inspect the role and the tag name.
>
> Does that help?
>
>
>
> Rich Schwerdtfeger
> CTO Accessibility Software Group
>
> Inactive hide details for David Bolter ---01/28/2011 01:04:06 PM---Hi 
> Rich, Gecko's exposure of the tag as an object attribute David Bolter 
> ---01/28/2011 01:04:06 PM---Hi Rich, Gecko's exposure of the tag as an 
> object attribute predates ARIA so I'm
>
> From: David Bolter <david.bolter@gmail.com>
> To: Richard Schwerdtfeger/Austin/IBM@IBMUS
> Cc: Steve Faulkner <faulkner.steve@gmail.com>, wai-xtech@w3.org
> Date: 01/28/2011 01:04 PM
> Subject: Re: HTML 5 Accessibility Mappings
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Hi Rich,
>
> Gecko's exposure of the tag as an object attribute predates ARIA so 
> I'm not sure can remove it. I don't understand "for all HTML elements 
> that don't have a pre-defined ARIA semantic we simply pass the role 
> value as the tag name".
> Who is "we"? (The browser?)
> What does passing the role value mean?
> Did you mean 'tag name' or 'role attribute value'?
>
> Regarding the AT and author error, it is up to them whether they want 
> to correct or not; gecko provides the info.
>
> If you are proposing AT look at the IA2 role object attribute and 
> ignore the MSAA role, and if AT agree to this, I would support making 
> changes to gecko to use the role object attribute as more than just 
> the raw author supplied role attribute value, in a way I think you are 
> describing.
>
> Cheers,
> D
>
> On 28/01/11 1:42 PM, Richard Schwerdtfeger wrote:
>
>       David,
>
>       The point being that today you need an ARIA role to be able to
>       apply aria attributes. Yet, HTML 5 defines default ARIA
>       semantics for many of the elements removing the need for the
>       author to define an aria role to apply the aria attributes that
>       are applicable to that role. If the author overrides the role
>       using role="foo" then that replaces the role. So there is no
>       reason for the author to expose roles separately if for all HTML
>       elements that don't have a pre-defined ARIA semantic we simply
>       pass the role value as the tag name.
>
>       I don't see the value for providing the DOM element tag name and
>       the role attribute. Perhaps I am missing something. Are you
>       asking the AT to correct an author error?
>
>       What I am proposing would actually reduce the number of object
>       attributes as you don't need to pass the tag name and the role -
>       just the role.
>
>       Rich
>
>       Rich Schwerdtfeger
>       CTO Accessibility Software Group
>
>
>
>       From: David Bolter _<david.bolter@gmail.com>_
>       <mailto:david.bolter@gmail.com>
>       To: Richard Schwerdtfeger/Austin/IBM@IBMUS
>       Cc: Steve Faulkner _<faulkner.steve@gmail.com>_
>       <mailto:faulkner.steve@gmail.com>, _wai-xtech@w3.org_
>       <mailto:wai-xtech@w3.org>
>       Date: 01/25/2011 03:12 PM
>       Subject: Re: HTML 5 Accessibility Mappings
>       ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>       Hi Rich,
>
>       Thanks for posting this.
>
>       Note gecko exposes a 'tag', 'element-name' pair already so the
>       (corrected) #3 would imply duplicated object attributes. I think
>       I would like to expose the role and the element name separately
>       so that AT can decide on its own workarounds. I'm open for
>       debate on that.
>
>       I'm not how "What this does for the author is it allows the
>       author to supply ARIA states and properties to elements that do
>       not have a role supplied but depend on the native ARIA semantics
>       as defined by the HTML 5 specification." is strictly dependent
>       on what we expose via the object attribute. It seems like a
>       separate issue.
>
>       Note for number 4, gecko almost always overrides the
>       element->desktop role mapping and trusts the author. We don't
>       really validate the role attribute against the element name.
>       Having both the role and tag object attributes allows the AT to
>       decide what is best. I realize there are pros and cons to this
>       design.
>
>       The proposal seems to be heading towards using object attributes
>       as the new defacto API (why bother with our existing enumerated
>       MSAA/IA2 roles) for browsers. I like the idea of having a more
>       flexible extensible API. Overall I have had push back from devs
>       like Jamie (NVDA) about overusing the object attributes, so I'm
>       interested to hear his feedback on this thread.
>
>       Cheers,
>       David
>
>       On 25/01/11 3:45 PM, Richard Schwerdtfeger wrote:
>       Yes Steve. Thank you for the correction.
>
>
>       Rich Schwerdtfeger
>       CTO Accessibility Software Group
>
>       Inactive hide details for Steve Faulkner ---01/25/2011 10:50:13
>       AM---Hi Rich, you wrote:Steve Faulkner ---01/25/2011 10:50:13
>       AM---Hi Rich, you wrote:
>
>       From: Steve Faulkner _<faulkner.steve@gmail.com>_
>       <mailto:faulkner.steve@gmail.com>
>       To: Richard Schwerdtfeger/Austin/IBM@IBMUS
>       Cc: _wai-xtech@w3.org_ <mailto:wai-xtech@w3.org>,
>       _david.bolter@gmail.com_ <mailto:david.bolter@gmail.com>
>       Date: 01/25/2011 10:50 AM
>       Subject: Re: HTML 5 Accessibility Mappings
>       ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>       Hi Rich,
>
>       you wrote:
>
>       3. For HTML elements that have default ARIA role semantic we
>       pass the HTML element name as the role in the name value pair
>       passed in the object attributes sent to the AT
>
>       shouldn't this be?
>
>       "For HTML elements that have NO default ARIA role semantic..."
>
>       regards
>       stevef
>
>       On 25 January 2011 16:40, Richard Schwerdtfeger
>       <_schwer@us.ibm.com_ <mailto:schwer@us.ibm.com>> wrote:
>       In HTML 5 we introduce the concept of native host language
>       semantics in terms of ARIA roles for all HTML elements. I would
>       like to propose the following
>
>       1. All HTML elements should provide a role attribute in the
>       corresponding accessible object through the object attributes
>       (such as in IAccessible2)
>       2. For HTML elements that have an ARIA equivalent role that role
>       should be passed as the role name/value pair in the object
>       attributes unless the author overrides the default elements role
>       in the object attribute
>       3. For HTML elements that have default ARIA role semantic we
>       pass the HTML element name as the role in the name value pair
>       passed in the object attributes sent to the AT
>       4. For HTML elements with an allowable ARIA role attribute that
>       is provided by the author we pass that role as the role
>       attribute in the object attributes
>
>       What this does for the author is it allows the author to supply
>       ARIA states and properties to elements that do not have a role
>       supplied but depend on the native ARIA semantics as defined by
>       the HTML 5 specification.
>
>       A case in point:
>
>       <table tabindex="0" role="grid" aria-activedescendant="idx">
>       <tr>
>       <th>vegetables</th><th>fruits</th> ...
>       </tr>
>       <td id="idx" role="gridcell">broccoli</td><td
>       role="gridcell>apple</td> ...
>       </tr>
>       </table>
>
>
>       TR has a native host language ARIA semantic of "row" but no role
>       is needed.
>       <TH> defeaults to columnheader and so on.
>
>       Feedback?
>
>       Rich Schwerdtfeger
>       CTO Accessibility Software Group
>
>
>
>
>       -- 
>       with regards
>
>       Steve Faulkner
>       Technical Director - TPG_
>
>       __www.paciellogroup.com_ <http://www.paciellogroup.com/>|
>       _www.HTML5accessibility.com_
>       <http://www.html5accessibility.com/>|
>       _www.twitter.com/stevefaulkner_
>       <http://www.twitter.com/stevefaulkner>
>       HTML5: Techniques for providing useful text alternatives -
>       _dev.w3.org/html5/alt-techniques/_
>       <http://dev.w3.org/html5/alt-techniques/>
>       Web Accessibility Toolbar -
>       _www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html _
>       <http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html>
>
>

Received on Wednesday, 2 February 2011 19:48:01 UTC