Re: Helping Canvas Tag Be Accessible

Although I just started looking at canvas I should add that we need to look
at keyboard access too.

Rich Schwerdtfeger
Distinguished Engineer, SWG Accessibility Architect/Strategist


                                                                           
             Richard                                                       
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                                       Re: Helping Canvas Tag Be           
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I have been following a number of threads and I think you can agree that,
although the HTML working group has stated that canvas should only be used
for drawings, authors will do what they want. It is just a fact of life.

In order to make canvas accessible we will need:
      An object model to which authors can apply an accessibility API.
      A collection of callback interfaces that can be applied to objects to
      support an accessibility API mapping on each browser and platform and
      potentially a vehicle to fire events to ATs.
      A provision for equivalent alternative references that allow a canvas
      author to specify an alternative resource for drawing that cannot be
      made accessible through traditional API.


I would agree with Raman that the equivalent of MSAA is a start. We will
need more than that to bring it in line with what is in ARIA. To be clear
the implementation of ARIA support in the browser has caused browser
manufacturers to improve their accessibility API support. It is true that
both Flash and Silverlight provide vehicles for authors to bind
accessibility API support to drawings.

It is important that we get on this. With new legislation coming out:
      U.S. 508 Refresh (our projection 2011)
      WCAG 2 adoption world wide for web accessibility (happening now)
      EU Mandate 376 (our projection 2011)

If we don't address gaps in HTML 5, I am concerned that it will be
blackballed by governments similar to what happened with CSS and
JavaScript. ARIA's success and the release of WCAG 2 are moving governments
toward removing those restrictions as we speak. Both the recommendations
for the 508 refresh and WCAG 2 remove the restrictions on CSS and
JavaScript. For those who do not know this WCAG 1 required that you be
accessible with Script and CSS turned off in the browser.

Rich

Rich Schwerdtfeger
Distinguished Engineer, SWG Accessibility Architect/Strategist

Inactive hide details for Steven Faulkner ---07/24/2009 04:28:19
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Helping Canvas Tag Be Accessible - discussion thread on open web advocacy
mailing list
http://groups.google.com/group/openweb-group/browse_thread/thread/8645a466c1e9109a

--
with regards

Steve Faulkner
Technical Director - TPG Europe
Director - Web Accessibility Tools Consortium

www.paciellogroup.com | www.wat-c.org
Web Accessibility Toolbar -
http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html(See attached file:
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