Re: Introduction to AT Vendors - On the right track?

Looks like a good start to me. You might like to separate Web Content
Guidelines, which are about what authors need to do, from Authoring Tool
Guidelines, which are about Authoring Software (and where we would appreciate
some AT developer involvement, particularly as we move into an implementation
techniques and review phase ;-)

I think the HTML paragraph (second paragraph) belongs with the example about
tables.

Cheers

Charles McCN

On Fri, 17 Dec 1999, Wilson Craig wrote:

  All:
  
  The following is a draft of a statement that would be used to introduce
  assistive technology developers to the WAI and associated guidelines and
  techniques. It may be too short, too long, too obtuse or any number of other
  "toos."
  
  Any and all feedback is welcome.
  
  <Begin>
  
  Providing accessibility to the World Wide Web requires cooperation among
  mainstream web browser developers, assistive technology vendors, web authors
  and developers of web authoring tools. The WAI offers guidelines and
  techniques to each of these groups.
  
  Much web content is developed using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which
  is developed and published by the W3C. This content may be coded manually or
  generated using a number of different "what-you-see-is-what-you-get"
  (WYSIWYG) authoring tools. HTML is very flexible. Hence, a wide variety of
  methods may be used to develop pages with identical visual content.
  
  WAI Authoring Guidelines provide web authors with a set of standards and
  techniques for creating accessible sites. Authors who follow these
  guidelines will in no way compromise the visual appeal of their web sites,
  but ensure that their sites will work with a variety of assistive
  technologies.
  
  WAI User Agent Guidelines are divided into two groups: those pertaining to
  independent users agents such as web browsers and those that apply to
  dependent user agents such as screen readers, screen magnifiers and
  self-contained speech-based browsers.
  
  Assistive technology vendors benefit not only by adhering to the dependent
  user agent guidelines, but by being aware of all other guidelines as well.
  For example, one of the most compelling problems with providing access to
  web sites regards the use of tables. This HTML construct is used both to
  organize pages into columns and to deliver tabular data.
  
  If a browser developer develops the ability to interpret HTML so that it
  renders tabular content in a certain way, assistive technology developers
  benefit by knowing what that will be. Similarly, if the WAI proposes certain
  techniques to authors who want to label the elements of the table so that
  the browser can implement this interpretation, assistive technology vendors
  should support this method of coding a table.
  
  Supporting guidelines developed by the WAI serves both to raise awareness of
  the standards and to ensure that others following the guidelines are
  reinforced and supported in their work. Cooperation among those for whom
  guidelines are developed allows ease of development for mainstream and
  assitive technology developers and ease of use for people who disabilities
  accessing the limitless information available on the Web.
  
  For more information on the various guidelines, techniques, workgroups and
  activities developed by the WAI, please visit the web site at
  www.w3.org/WAI.
  
  <End>
  
  
  Wilson Craig
  Marketing Manager/Webmaster
  Henter-Joyce, Inc.
  11800 31st Court North
  St. Petersburg, FL 33716
  1-800-336-5658
  727-803-8000
  www.hj.com
  
  
  -----Original Message-----
  From: w3c-wai-eo-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-eo-request@w3.org]On
  Behalf Of Judy Brewer
  Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 10:50 PM
  To: w3c-wai-eo@w3.org
  Subject: No EOWG meeting this Friday Dec 17
  
  
  EOWG:
  
  We will not be meeting this Friday, Dec 17, due to too many conflicting
  meetings and proposals.
  
  Please be on the lookout however for material on the mailing list from
  Wilson Craig, for review and comment.
  
  The next two Fridays are not good for meetings due to upcoming holidays.
  
  That puts our next meeting at Friday, January 7, 1999.
  
  Regards,
  
  - Judy
  
  
  --
  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
  
  

--
Charles McCathieNevile    mailto:charles@w3.org    phone: +61 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative                    http://www.w3.org/WAI
21 Mitchell Street, Footscray, VIC 3011,  Australia (I've moved!)

Received on Sunday, 19 December 1999 21:54:30 UTC