W3C WAI Accessibility Roles Update July 2023

Dear WAI Coordination Call,

Accessibility at W3C has reached several milestones recently and some changes are in place to strengthen our position as we move forward. For example, WCAG 2.2 is in the final stage on its way to becoming a W3C Recommendation, with Member review closing in August.

W3C re-launched as a public-interest non-profit organization in 2023 with accessibility as a clear priority in our mission. [1] Accessibility is woven throughout the fabric of W3C and we will continue with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) focus.

We thank past staff who have contributed to the many accessibility successes of W3C WAI. The current staff provides extensive experience at W3C WAI along with fresh perspectives. The strongly-collaborative team includes:
* Shawn Lawton Henry leads accessibility communication, education, and WAI’s collaborative strategic plan.
* Kevin White leads technical accessibility work, including oversight of accessibility Working Groups.
* Roy Ruoxi Ran supports accessibility Working Groups and accessibility in China.
* Daniel Montalvo supports accessibility Working Groups and standards harmonization in Europe.
* A new staff person (to be hired) will support accessibility Working Groups and other W3C accessibility work.

Kevin is Chair of this WAI Coordination Call group.

The WAI team, along with other W3C staff, is well positioned to continue supporting accessibility activities. Additionally, we will be collaborating with stakeholders to develop a vision and strategic plan for accessibility at W3C.

We are excited about the opportunities to make the Web more accessible to people with disabilities and we look forward to working with you to advance digital accessibility worldwide.

To share input or questions, you can reach the WAI team via e-mail to wai@w3.org

Best regards,
Shawn Lawton Henry, WAI Program Lead
Kevin White, Accessibility Technical Lead
Ralph Swick, CEO

W3C https://www.w3.org
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) https://www.w3.org/WAI/

[1] https://www.w3.org/press-releases/2023/w3c-le-launched/

Received on Monday, 31 July 2023 15:10:22 UTC