Issue Summary - LevelAAA

There are 14 issues in this category, which is focused on what is 
required to meet Triple-A conformance.

1.) 5 comments suggest that 50% of the applicable level 3 items is not 
enough and suggest increasing the requirement.

2.) 5 comments seem to misunderstand or misinterpret requirements for 
Triple-A conformance as written (mostly by assuming that 50% can be met 
without any effort on the part of the author)

3.) 2 comments have been discussed, but have incomplete action items 
(LC-533 and LC-605).

Here are the issues:


      *Comment LC-516*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Jason White <jasonw@ariel.its.unimelb.edu.au>
*Comment Type:* question
*Location:* accessible-alternatives 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#accessible-alternatives> 

*Comment:*
Part of Item:
Comment Type: QU
Comment (Including rationale for any proposed change):

Should there be a criterion corresponding to 4.2.1 and 4.2.3 introduced 
at level 3, requiring that at least one version of (each Web unit in 
the) content satisfy at least 50% of the applicable level 3 success 
criteria? Alternatively, is it sufficient that all versions of the 
content together meet 50% of the relevant success criteria in order to 
constitute level 3 conformance?

Proposed Change:

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-08-07 22:36:05

**

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      *Comment LC-533*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Greg Gay <g.gay@utoronto.ca>     *Affiliation:* ATRC UofT
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* baseline <http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#baseline> 

*Comment:*
Item Number: Technology assumptions and the
Part of Item:
Comment Type: TE
Comment (Including rationale for any proposed change):

There is a relatively easy possibility of Level AAA compliance by virtue 
of ommision. By default, the vast majority of sites will meet 50% of the 
level 3 guidelines without trying. The following are arguably not 
relevant on most Web sites.

---------------------

Irrelevant for most sites

1.2.5 (w/ no MM)
1.2.6 (w/ no MM)
1.2.7 (w/ no MM)
1.4.3 (use standard B/W)
1.4.4 (with no audio content)
2.1.2 (with no time dependence)
2.2.4 (no timed events)
2.2.5 (no auto updated content)
2.2.6 (no timeout)
2.3.2 (use no flashing components)
2.4.6 (don\'t use tab to create inconsitent tab ordering
3.1.6 (write in an alphabetic language)
3.2.5 (use no auto redirects)
4.2.4 (use only baseline technologies)

---------------------------

Potentially 13 L3 met by omission

So without any extra effort, a site without any of the above 
technologies would meet enough level 3 criteria to comply, even though 
none of the guidelines are relevant.

Things that could be done relevant to the content of the majority of sites

Relevant to most sites

2.4.5 (use descriptive titles, headings, and labels)
2.4.7 (use breadcrumb links to navigate, and identify location within a 
hierarchy)
2.4.8 (use meaningfult link text)
2.5.4 (describe expected input for form fields)
3.1.3 (provide a glossary)
3.1.4 (expand all abbreviations)
3.1.5 (Use low level language)

---------------------------

Potentially 7 L3 relevant to most sites.

Proposed Change:

Perhspa 75% of level 3 items would be more appropriate, or maybe 50%, 
which includes at least 4 or 5 items (or maybe all) from the second list 
of more common level 3 items.

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]
Submitted by Team A 5/23/06

Close with comment:
{partial accept}
"The conformance clause specifies that:
"at least half (50%) of the Level 3 success criteria that apply to the 
content types used are met assuming user agent support for only the 
technologies in the specified baseline. " So the scenario you describe 
would not apply. They would have to meet 50% of what was left (which 
would be your second list in the case you present). So the problem you 
identify is addressed by the current wording. "


discussed 5/15/06 telecon
put on hold

@@ David, michael, bruce, loretta, cynthia to explore alternate formulations

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:38:13

**

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      *Comment LC-539*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA conformance implications 2.1.2
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Greg Gay <g.gay@utoronto.ca>     *Affiliation:* ATRC UofT
*Comment Type:* general comment
*Location:* keyboard-operation-all-funcs 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#keyboard-operation-all-funcs> 

*Comment:*
Item Number: Success Criterion 2.2.1 <-- this appears to be a typo
Part of Item:
Comment Type: GE
Comment (Including rationale for any proposed change):

I'm not sure about the distinction between 2.1.1 and 2.1.2. Does it mean 
if there is required time dependant content, such as a reaction time 
test, the web unit can not comply at level 3. This could potentially be 
an issues, albeit unlikely, if a site were pursuing Level 2 or 3 
conformance, but had a time dependant test, for example.

Proposed Change:

In such a case I would expect an accessibility statement or statement of 
scope to exclude the timed test, thus rendering the guideline irrelevant 
to a claim of Level 2 or 3 compliance. 2.1.2 sounds like it may not be 
enforcable. Perhaps remove it.

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

Submitted by Team A 5/23/06

PUT ON HOLD at WG Telcon 5/25/06

{not accepted}
It is the specific intent that timed content such as timed tests not be 
able to conform to this success criterion. The goal is to encourage the 
development of other non-time-based forms instead. Also note that 
Triple-A (AAA) conformance does not require you to conform to all level 
3 success criteria, you only need to meet 50% of those that apply to 
your content type. A site with a timed test could therefore conform with 
Triple-A (AAA) conformance if they meet enough of the other level 3 
criteria.

Survey: http://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35422/TEAMaMAY25/results#xLC539

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:38:23

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-605*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* David MacDonald <Befree@magma.ca>     *Affiliation:* 
working group member/ consultant
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* conformance-reqs 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#conformance-reqs> 

*Comment:*
Part of Item:
Comment Type: TE
Comment (including rationale for proposed change):

I think there are problems with the idea that someone can claim level 3 
conformance if they do only 50% of the techniques that apply to their 
content. That means someone could claim Level 3 conformance and have an 
audio track that has a loud background when there is a Level 3 SC that 
specifically says don't do this. I realize that some Level three items 
are very difficult. But that is what level 3 is all about - going above 
and beyond. (If some of our Level 3 SC are unrealistically difficult 
then let's remove those ones) On the other hand, if we are just 
providing level 3 as a way to encourage people to provide extra 
accessibility then it should not be a Level but rather a separate 
advisory section of our guidelines. I don't think we can allow people to 
say they have reached a level of conformance while blatantly while 
breaking the GL or SC in that level. I think it undermines the integrity 
of our Guidelines. I think it will be a source of much confusion and 
conflict in the public and among disability groups.

Proposed Change:

Require 100% of Level 3 SC that apply to the content to be met in order 
to meet Level 3. If there are some SC that the group identifies as 
unrealistically difficult then remove them to a separate document called 
something like "going the extra mile."

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

There is a sub committee looking into this now, David, Michael, Loretta, 
Cynthia. They will come back with a proposal.

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* David MacDonald
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:38:29

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-619*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Lisa Seeman <lisa@ubaccess.com>     *Affiliation:* Invited 
expert at W3C, UB access
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:*  (Level 3 Success Criteria for Guideline 3.1)

*Comment:*
Comment (including rationale for any proposed change):

mechanism is available for ....

A mechanism is only useful if: it is usable by AT or b, it is usable by 
the user

Proposed Change:

change definition of mechanism to process or technique for achieving a 
result that is easy (does not require a change of context, and uses 
simple language) for the user to use can be programmatically determined 
for AT for people with learning disabilities

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD] If a mechanism is implemented so 
that this SC is adhered to, it would automatically need to be accessible 
to the same level as the conformance claimed in the rest of the content. 
So, is it necessary to specify that mechanism be accessible? Perhaps a 
note should be added to the definition of mechanism to say "Process or 
technique for achieving a result. Note: mechanisms used must adhere to 
SC as prescribed by the conformance level claimed for the unit in which 
it is used". This not would cover "easy (does not require a change of 
context, and uses simple language)for the user to use can be 
programmatically determined for AT for people with learning disabilities".

Discussed 29 June 2006
resolution: 619 referred back to team B
http://www.w3.org/2006/06/29-wai-wcag-minutes.html

note = this say ALL SC at conformance level. Need to hold til AAA 
conformance is resolved.

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*
{partial accept}

@@
Add a note to the definition: "Note: the mechanism must meet all success 
criteria for the conformance level claimed".

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-09-14 05:47:49

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-621*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Lisa Seeman <lisa@ubaccess.com>     *Affiliation:* Invited 
expert at W3C, UB access
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* conformance 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#conformance> (Note 1)

*Comment:*
Comment (including rationale for any proposed change):

Quote: Because not all level 3 success criteria can be used with all 
types of content, Triple-A conformance only requires conformance to a 
portion of level 3 success criteria

This means that no one will bother with level three because you can 
claim Triple-A conformance by just doing one level 3 SC

Proposed Change:

Remove this paragraph

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD] Pending resolution of Triple-A 
conformance claims.

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*
Reject. Respond with: "Thanks Lisa. Triple-A claim requires conformance 
to 50% of applicable Level success criteria. One could claim Triple-A 
conformance for just one Level 3 SC if and if only two Level 3 SC were 
in the baseline. That said, the requirements for Triple-A conformance 
claim are being reconsidered."

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:38:43

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-652*

*Sort Terms:* baseline cognitive LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Lars Ballieu Christensen <lbc@sensus.dk>     *Affiliation:* 
Sensus ApS - European Accessibility Consultants
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* 0Free(none selected) 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#0Free> 

*Comment:*
Part of Item:
Comment Type: GE
Comment (including rationale for proposed change):

As a practitioner with 10 years experince in advising site owners and 
developers on how to develop web sites that are accessible to the widest 
range of users using the widest range of technilogies, I find the 
following the following issues in WCAG2 highly problematic:

The introduction of a technology baseline; the concept of a baseline is 
in my opinion in itself in direct conflict with the idea of creating 
inclusive solutions; I fear that the baseline will be used widely to 
formally pass accessbility tests by omitting all potentially tricky 
technologies from the baseline. In my opinion, the baseline is a mistake 
that should be removed from the document. If the aim is to promote an 
inclusive envisonment, the whole notion of accepting lower standards in, 
say, private intranets is absurd as it will preent people with special 
needs to work in these environments.

The document is still heavily biased towards the visually impaired. By 
and large, other groups of people with special needs are in practice 
omitted from the substance of the guidelines. These include, but are not 
limited to, the deaf, dyslexic, people with reading difficulties, and 
the cognitively disabled. The standard remedy of demanding that all 
non-textual information also be represented as textual information is 
simply not enough.

The idea of granting triple-A conformance status to a web site if it 
passes half (randomly selected?) the level 3 success criteria does not 
make sense. It suggests either that the level 3 success criteria are 
irrelevant to the general accessibilily or that it is more important to 
be able to pass the test than to comply with the level 3 success criteria.

Proposed Change:

1. Omit the concept of a baseline from the document.

2. Accommodate other - and in many cases much larger - user groups than 
merely the visually disabled. Complement the text alternative 
requirement with requirements for other alternatives including 
simplified text and sign language.

3. Decide whether and which of the level 3 success criteria are 
important. Leave out the unimportant and make the rest mandatory for 
gaining triple-A conformance status.

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:38:56

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-691*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Bruno von Niman 
<ANEC_W3CRep_Bruno@vonniman.com>     *Affiliation:* ANEC 
(ANEC-ICT-2006-W3C-006)
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* conformance-reqs 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#conformance-reqs> 

*Comment:*
Comment (including rationale for any proposed change):

Triple-A conformance requires only conformance to a
"portion of level 3 success criteria". In practice, this is
set to 50%.

Proposed Change:

This may be more than OK for Web sites developed
for commercial purposes (e.g. by small companies)
but should require more from e.g. public sites, where
competence and resources are less of an issue

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:39:06

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-859*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA related
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Joe Clark <joeclark@joeclark.org>
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* media-equiv-sign 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#media-equiv-sign> 

*Comment:*
 From 
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-comments-wcag20/2006May/0119.html 


Again after many unheeded warnings, the Working Group published the 
following guideline for multimedia (at the highest level):

Sign-language interpretation is provided for multimedia.

First of all, which sign language? For an English-language source, no 
fewer than five distinct, if not always mutually unintelligible, sign 
languages can be identified (American, British, Irish, Australian, New 
Zealand).

More importantly, WCAG now requires translating a document (a multimedia 
file) into another language as a claimed accessibility provision. To 
restate the same question I have been posing for years, what prevents a 
Ukrainian-speaker from demanding that a Web site be translated into 
Ukrainian? After all, in both cases the issue is the incomprehensibility 
of the language of the original, not the disability. (A deaf person is 
not necessarily unable to read. Deaf people can and do understand and 
communicate in written language. A reliance on sign language, or even a 
preference for it, does not logically follow from being deaf.)

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*
{reject}
This is a level 3 SC and is provided for those who want to make their 
pages particularly accessible to people who are deaf and for whom a 
written form of the spoken language is hard for them to read. The SC 
does not assume that all individuals who are deaf have trouble with 
written language but acknowledges that some do. The specific type of 
sign language is not specified and is therefore up to the author. Note 
that with level AAA conformance model this SC is not required even at 
the highest (most comprehensive) level of conformance (level AAA).

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Alex Li
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:39:39

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-888*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Monica Løland, The Danish Council of Organisations of 
Disabled People (DSI) <mol@handicap.dk>     *Affiliation:* The Danish 
Council of Organisations of Disabled People (DSI)
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* conformance-reqs 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#conformance-reqs> 

*Comment:*
Part of Item:
Comment Type: substantive
Comment (including rationale for proposed change):

According to WCAG 2.0 conformance at level Triple-A (AAA) is met when 
all Level 1, all Level 2 and at least 50 % of the Level 3 success 
criteria that apply to the content types used are met. How are the 50 % 
selected -- randomly?

Proposed Change:

We mean that it is important for WCAG to decide in advance which of the 
Level 3 criteria shall be met to obtain Triple-A conformance.

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-08-21 21:25:29

**

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      *Comment LC-1023*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA conformance
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Gian Sampson-Wild <gian@tkh.com.au>
*Comment Type:* general comment
*Location:*  

*Comment:*
AAA conformance - It is not clear how one achieves AAA conformance. In 
the WCAG 2.0 document (under the 'Conformance' heading) there is a note 
"Because not all level 3 success criteria can be used with all types of 
content, Triple-A conformance only requires conformance to a portion of 
level 3 success criteria". Does this mean a site can claim Triple-A 
conformance if they comply with all Level A and Level AA SC and one 
Triple-A SC? This statement is in contradiction with information in the 
"Baseline" document which states (under the 'Vertical and Horizontal 
scoping in conformance statements' - first question) "Any web content 
for which Level AAA conformance is claimed must meet all Level 1 and 
Level 2 success criteria plus at least 50% of applicable Level 3 success 
criteria".

Proposed Change:

Firstly, there must be consistency between the two documents and how to 
claim AAA conformance must be clearly detailed. I do not understand why 
AAA is being treated differently to A and AA. I believe AAA compliance 
should mean compliance with all AAA SC, not just ones the developer 
chooses to implement.

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 21:40:04

**

------------------------------------------------------------------------


      *Comment LC-1264*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Andrew Arch 
<andrew.arch@visionaustralia.org>     *Affiliation:* Vision Australia
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:* conformance 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/complete.html#conformance> (Note 1)

*Comment:*
Comment: Why do we need to say that Triple-A only requires conformance 
to a portion of the level 3 SC? This was the case in WCAG 1 at all 
levels and we just used to say NA (not applicable) for a checkpoint if 
there was no multimedia or no frames etc. This particularly relates to 
the later section suggesting that only 50% of level 3 SC need to be met 
to claim Triple-A

Proposed Change:

rephrase this Note to specify that not all level 3 SC might apply, and a 
web unit only needs to conform to the applicable ones to claim triple-A 
conformance

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 22:11:43

**

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      *Comment LC-1275*

*Sort Terms:* LevelAAA
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Andrew Arch 
<andrew.arch@visionaustralia.org>     *Affiliation:* Vision Australia
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:*  (#3 AAA)

*Comment:*
Comment: I disagree with allowing 50% conformance as sufficient for a 
AAA pass - we should take the same approach as WCAG 1.0 and require all 
checkpoints to be passed unless they are 'not applicable'. This approach 
still works with the concept that not all level 3 SC will apply to all 
web content.

Proposed Change:

change from 50% to "100% unless not applicable"

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [TEAMA] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-07-18 22:10:45

**

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      *Comment LC-1309*

*Sort Terms:* cognitive LevelAAA conformance
*Document:* WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
*Submitter:* Charles McCathieNevile <chaals@opera.com>
*Comment Type:* substantive
*Location:*  

*Comment:*
The guidelines place in level 3 very many of the requirements necessary to
help people with cognitive and reading disabilities access the web. Since
only 50% of level 3 requirements (as chosen by content authors) need to be
met in order to claim confomance to the guidelines, it is quite possible
to conform to the guidelines at triple-A level while doing very little
(and clearly not enough) to address the needs of these user groups.

I propose either that this be explicitly and clearly explained in the
introductory and conformance sections, or that the levels system be
reworked as per my lat call comment on them.

cheers

Chaals

*Status:* open

*Working Group Notes:* [EDITORZ] [HOLD]

*Resolution Working Notes - Unapproved:*

*Related Issues:*
*Assigned To:* Nobody
*Last Edited:* 2006-10-20 20:24:59


-- 
Ben Caldwell | <caldwell@trace.wisc.edu> 
Trace Research and Development Center <http://trace.wisc.edu> 

Received on Tuesday, 24 October 2006 14:09:20 UTC