Re: Proposal: move accessibility implementation requirements from HTML to HTML acc mappings spec

(speaking strictly as a developer)

Moving all accessibility requirements to a separate spec is likely to encourage thinking of accessibility is an optional add-on rather than a core feature. In many cases, accessibility properties of the spec are closely tied with aspects that are not specifically about accessibility. To draw a comparison, consider the idea moving all security requirements out of the HTML spec and into a separate spec edited by security experts. It would promote the notion that security can be added onto new features after the fact, rather than designed in from the start. In many cases, that leads to bad security. I believe the same is true of accessibility - it’s more likely to be effective when designed in.

For this reason, I am not in favor of the proposal below.

Regards,
Maciej


> On Sep 1, 2014, at 6:23 AM, Steve Faulkner <faulkner.steve@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Currently W3C HTML defines a set of browser implementation requirements in section 3.2.7 WAI-ARIA [1]. These are an incomplete subset of the requirements needed to provide interoperable implementations of HTML features to accessibility APIs.
> 
> The HTML wg/PF is working on the HTML Accessibility API Mappings 1.1 specification [2] which is intended to define the mappings of HTML features to platform accessibility APIs in sufficient detail for implementation of all HTML features to be  interoperable.
> 
> I propose that the current implementation requirements in the HTML spec be removed and that the HTML Accessibility API Mappings 1.1 specification is referenced instead.
> 
> Note: This does not effect the author conformance requirements in section 3.2.7.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [1] http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/dom.html#wai-aria <http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/dom.html#wai-aria>
> [2] http://rawgit.com/w3c/aria/master/html-aam/html-aam.html <http://rawgit.com/w3c/aria/master/html-aam/html-aam.html>
> 
> --
> 
> Regards
> 
> SteveF
> HTML 5.1 <http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/>