Comments about issues 629, 630, 631, 632

Comments 629-632 [1],are suggesting that since the Dynamic Web 
Accessibility specifications[2] provides a mechanism to specify more 
meta-data about elements (roles, states, values, relationships, etc), that 
all of 2.5 success criteria should be updated to include programmatically 
determined. 


While I agree that Dynamic Web Accessibility addresses the concerns, this 
is not yet a mainstream technology.  I am concerned that adding in 
programmatically determined provides a loophole for web authors to add 
information even though it may not yet be well supported. 

The only real issue I see is with 2.5.1 - describing the error to the user 
in text.  I can see that an assistive technology could infer certain 
errors (such as values that exceed a specified maximum value) and present 
them to the user.   But, I still think that there are other classes of 
error that can not be determined from the role and state information.  I'm 
not sure of a way to reword the SC to allow for some types of errors and 
not others.

I think that the other SC 2.5.2, 2.5.3, and 2.5.4 can stand as is because 
they can be met via the use of the Dynamic Web Accessibility technologies 
and supporting assistive technology.  Take 2.5.2, for example: 2.5.2 If an 
input error is detected and suggestions for correction are known and can 
be provided without jeopardizing the security or purpose of the content, 
the suggestions are provided to the user.   I think that if the author 
codes this properly and during testing the assistive technology uses the 
information to provide correction suggestions to the user, this SC has 
been met.  It doesn't specify how the suggestions are provided to the user 
or require that the Web author provide them, only that the suggestions are 
provided.  Does this make sense to the group?  Can we discuss further at 
an upcoming meeting? Perhaps we just need to add examples to the How to 
Meet document that address the concerns and show how using Dynamic Web 
Accessibility with a supporting assistive technology meets these SC.

[1] issues are sequential beginning at:   
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/issue-tracking/viewdata_all.php#629

Becky Gibson
Web Accessibility Architect
                                                       
IBM Emerging Internet Technologies
5 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886
Voice: 978 399-6101; t/l 333-6101
Email: gibsonb@us.ibm.com

Received on Monday, 5 June 2006 12:01:37 UTC