FW: Explaining the relationship between accessible tools and accessible content

Hi all,

I think we can address why the two parts are in the same document by modifying this part of the Introduction:

Accessibility, from an authoring tool perspective, includes addressing the needs of two overlapping user groups with disabilities:

    * authors of web content, whose needs are met by ensuring that the authoring tool user interface itself is accessible (addressed by Part A of the guidelines), and
    * end users of web content, whose needs are met by ensuring that all authors are enabled, supported, and guided towards producing accessible web content (addressed by Part B of the guidelines).

It is important to note that, while the requirements for meeting these two sets of user needs are separated for clarity within the guidelines, the accelerating trend toward user-produced content means that in reality they are deeply inter-connected. For example, when a user participates in an online forum they frequently author web content that is then incorporated with other content authored by other users. Accessibility problems in either the authoring user interface or the web content produced by the other forum users would reduce the overall accessibility of the forum.


Cheers,
Jan

-- 
(Mr) Jan Richards, M.Sc.
jrichards@ocad.ca | 416-977-6000 ext. 3957 | fax: 416-977-9844
Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) | http://inclusivedesign.ca/
Faculty of Design | OCAD University


-----Original Message-----
From: public-atag2-comments-request@w3.org [mailto:public-atag2-comments-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Alan Chuter
Sent: September 1, 2010 1:08 PM
To: public-atag2-comments@w3.org
Subject: Explaining the relationship between accessible tools and accessible content

I think it is relevant to explain to readers why the two seemingly
independent requirements, of (1) access to authoring tools and (2)
production of accessible content, are covered in the same document. I
remember once someone from WAI (Judy or Shawn?) explain something along
the line that only when people with disabilities can create Web content in
equal conditions will web accessibility become a reality. ATAG 1.0
contains a partial explanation, "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." With the current trend toward user-produced content this is
now even more true than when ATAG 1.0 was published (see Jamal's comment
[1] about Web 2.0 content). This idea of a two-way process is the clearly
(to me) the reasoning for including both requirements in the same
recommendation, but an explanation seems to be needed.

regards,

Alan Chuter,
Consultant,
Accessibility and User Experience Department,
Technosite - Fundosa group (ONCE Foundation),
Tel: 91 121 03 30
E-mail: achuter@technosite.es
www.technosite.es 

[1]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-atag2-comments/2010Aug/0001.html

Received on Friday, 3 September 2010 14:25:31 UTC