Re: Rewording of Introduction

Jutta, 

Thank you for the rewording, I think this is clearer and addresses several
issues.

I also agree with Phill's recommendation to add:

>>... It does address accessible design
>>considerations specific to Web authoring tools.
>such as conformance to accessible standards (i.e.,
>HTML 4.0), accessibility checking and correcting,
>prompting, appropriate documentation and help,
>and navigation mechanisms.

In the interests of having the intro read as smoothly as possible for
people who haven't been living & breathing this, a few other very minor
suggestions, if time allows:
- break up the new first paragraph, right before "For detailed information
about what constitutes accessible content..." so it's not so long to plow
through; 
- at "Because most of the Web is created using authoring tools..." specify
instead "Because most of the content of the Web is created using authoring
tools..." since the Web also involves servers handling transport protocols; 
- change the "the" to "this" at "The document provides guidelines..."
since, given the reference to WCAG at the end of the previous sentence, the
reader at first assumes this is another reference to WCAG.

- Judy

>Proposed revision is:
>
>An accessible authoring tool is accessible software that produces
>accessible content for the Web. Thus the goals of this document can be
>stated as follows: that the authoring tool be accessible to authors
>regardless of disability, that the authoring tool generate accessible
>content by default, and that the authoring tool support and encourage the
>author in creating accessible content. Because most of the Web is created
>using authoring tools, they play a critical role in ensuring the
>accessibility of the Web. Since the Web is both a means of receiving
>information and communicating information, it is important that both the
>web content produced and the authoring tool itself be accessible. For
>detailed information about what constitutes accessible content this
>document relies on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
>[WAI-WEBCONTENT]. The document provides guidelines for designing authoring
>tools that generate web content that conforms to the Web Content
>Accessibility Guidelines and that support and encourage authors to create
>content that conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
>Similarly,this document does not address general accessible software design
>but relies on other sources. It does address accessible design
>considerations specific to Web authoring tools.
>
>            A separate document, entitled Techniques for Authoring Tool
>Accessibility [WAI-AUTOOLS-TECH], provides suggestions and examples of how
>each checkpoint might be satisfied. It also includes references to other
>accessibility resources (such as platform-specific software accessibility
>guidelines) that give additional information on how a tool may satisfy each
>checkpoint. Readers are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the
>techniques document. Please note that the techniques are merely suggested
>implementations of the checkpoints, alternative strategies may be used to
>meet the requirements of the checkpoints.
>
>End of revision
>
>As previously suggested I have included the goal statement and have
>addressed the awkward wording of the second paragraph.
>
>Jutta
>
----------
Judy Brewer    jbrewer@w3.org    +1.617.258.9741    http://www.w3.org/WAI
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) International Program Office
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
MIT/LCS Room NE43-355, 545 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA,  02139,  USA

Received on Tuesday, 31 August 1999 18:30:56 UTC