Low Vision TF on 2.2 and Silver

Hi AG WG participants,

As Jim has shared, the Low Vision Task Force (TF) is not directly proposing any new WCAG 2.2 success criteria. Individual participants may work on SCs. The TF will review and support new SCs. The TF will instead focus on supplemental guidance (best practices) related to low vision accessibility. We expect that will be integrated with cognitive and mobile guidance in the future.

We wanted to clarify some information from recent minutes: https://www.w3.org/2019/04/23-ag-minutes.html#item02

"David: As a recap, because the Low Vision Task Force is not pursuing any additional Success Criteria in WCAG 2.2, and because much of the gap in coverage for low vision users was addressed by WCAG 2.1..."

-1 to: "much of the gap in coverage for low vision users was addressed by WCAG 2.1"

"Alastair: My impression was that the low vision task force was interested in looking farther ahead than WCAG 2.2 to continue to address user needs."

+1 to: "interested in looking farther ahead than WCAG 2.2 to continue to address user needs"


The perspective of many participants in the Low Vision Task Force (TF) is:

* More user needs were covered in WCAG 2.1. The TF is pleased with that overall. However, the SCs are far from optimum. WCAG 2 SCs have significant limitations[1]. The exceptions and the wording mean that some 2.1 SCs: do not address user needs sufficiently; are not clear that they address user needs. For example, see [2]

* Supplemental guidance lets us provide clear guidance without the limitations of WCAG SCs. It also informs Silver.

* Several low vision user needs are related to user agent support, and wouldn't fit in WCAG 2.2 either. The TF is optimistic they will be addressed well in Silver.

This is the motivation for the TF focusing work on supplemental guidance and Silver, rather than WCAG 2.2. (The TF *does* intend to support work on 2.2, just not focus on it.)

Let us know if we can provide additional information.

Best,
~Shawn Henry & Jim Allan for Low Vision Task Force


[1] be testable, apply to all content and technologies, etc. https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/wiki/WCAG_2.2_Success_criterion_acceptance_requirements

[2] One example: Users need to be able to change font family and spacing (https://www.w3.org/TR/low-vision-needs/#font , https://www.w3.org/TR/low-vision-needs/#spacing). 1.4.12 Text Spacing is limited to "content implemented using markup languages that support the following text style properties" and it doesn't mention changing font family. (even though the SC is intended to include users changing font family, and it is mentioned in the Understanding doc)


-- 
<http://www.w3.org/People/Shawn/>

Received on Thursday, 25 April 2019 15:46:57 UTC