Re: Your comments on WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft of December, 2007

Thanks for your consideration of this issue.

What I described was not a description of an actual application I'm worried
about. It is a description of a solution that might be overlooked!

I think the average person reading the guidelines will assume that timed
tests fall under the exception. They will read down the list of bullets
trying to see which applies, and the only item there that applies is the
exception:

Turn-off is no good - it is timed test!

Allowing the user to adjust as described in the guidelines, is no good. At
least 10 times the default setting? That would invalidate the activity in
most timed tests. 

Allowing the user to extend up to 10 times the default setting is also no
good as it would invalidate the activity.

Allowing third party, such as an instructor, to extend is good. Allowing the
student to continue with the time recorded for evaluator is good. Neither of
the two options that are good for this situation are mentioned in the
guidelines or in the supporting documentation.

Of course people reading the guidelines -could- realize that there are ways
to extend the time with out invalidating the activity, and they could, on
their own, follow the solutions we've mentioned below. But, if it were safe
to assume people will draw these conclusions on their own, then we wouldn't
need guidelines at all ;-)

Thanks for your consideration of this issue.



> From: Loretta Guarino Reid <lorettaguarino@google.com>
> Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:25:32 -0700
> To: "Taylor, Suzanne" <suzanne.taylor@pearson.com>
> Cc: <public-comments-WCAG20@w3.org>
> Subject: Re: Your comments on WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft of December,
> 2007
> 
> On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 9:45 AM, Taylor, Suzanne
> <suzanne.taylor@pearson.com> wrote:
>> Thank you for considering my comment.
>> 
>>  I feel that the exception mentioned is too broad and something should
>>  exist in the guidelines to indicate that the exception does not apply in
>>  cases where simple solutions can prevent time extension from
>>  invalidating the activity.
>> 
>> 
>>  "Essential Exception: the time limit is essential and extending it would
>>  invalidate the activity;"
>> 
>>  For example, a quiz with a time limit would fall under the exception as
>>  it stands now; however, if we tell students when time is up, but allow
>>  the students to keep working and simply record how long each student
>>  took to complete the quiz, the quiz will be accessible. On the other
>>  hand, as the guidelines stand now, this simple solution could be
>>  over-looked, and an educational site could advertise WCAG Accessibility,
>>  while completely excluding some students from participation in class
>>  activities.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------
> Response from Working Group:
> ---------------------------------------------
> 
> If the time limit can be extended for students with disabilities, then
> the time limit is not essential, and the exception would not apply.
> 
> SC 2.2.1 addresses the behavior of the Web page. In your example, the
> time limit on the quiz is set by telling the student to stop. It
> sounds as if there is no time limit in the Web page forcing the
> student to stop. So there would be no time limit set by the content
> and SC 2.2.1 would be satisfied.
> 
> If the time limit is set by the content, say if the Web page
> containing the text automatically closes when the time limit expires,
> then it would be necessary to have some mechanism to change that time
> limit in order to give the student the additional time he needs.
> 
> 
> Thanks again for the interest that you have taken in these guidelines.
> Could we ask you to let us know whether or not you are satisfied with
> this response by Wed, April 16?
> 
> Loretta Guarino Reid, WCAG WG Co-Chair
> Gregg Vanderheiden, WCAG WG Co-Chair
> Michael Cooper, WCAG WG Staff Contact
> 
> On behalf of the WCAG Working Group

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Received on Saturday, 12 April 2008 06:21:07 UTC