Re: what is web accessibility slide revisited

Some in-line comments below, while trying to re-examine this & trying to 
come up w/ new slide.

At 12:11 AM 2/17/2003 -0800, Panchang Sailesh wrote:

>Wat is Web Accessibility?
>A website or Web application becomes accessible when:
>- it presents  all its content in a manner that helps understanding while
>being navigable, operable and perceivable by all users; and
>- individuals  with disabilities with the aid of special computer-access
>technology if any, can direct the course of and attain the outcome offered
>byWeb content as effectively (or successfully) as individuals without
>disabilities.

JB: Am concerned about the addition of the equivalent facilitation here 
given that it is not a concept that is well developed in the W3C/WAI area, 
and comes more from a policy setting. Yes I realize that this can be an 
important concept in some settings, but it begs the question of how "as 
effectively" or "as successfully" might be measured with regard to general 
Web usage (as opposed to within, for instance, a specific office setting, 
where the tasks/functions of people in different positions are known, etc.).

>Web accessibility is enhanced when software used to build websites (or
>authoring tools)  can be effectively operated through special
>computer-access technologies used by some people with disabilities.

JB: Leaves out whether that authoring software is operable by people with 
disabilities who may not need assistive technologies, and also whether 
authoring software is available that supports the production of accessible 
Web sites.

>The use of W3C Web technologies like HTML, CSS, SMIL, etc.,supportsWeb
>accessibility.

JB: Might be taken as implying that support for accessibility in non-W3C 
technologies is not a part of achieving Web accessibility.

>      =======
>Rationale:
>- casts "understandability" in a different way that I hope is more
>acceptable

JB: Interesting direction. Seems that it would need to be more specific though.

>- introduces concept of "equivalent facilitation"- equality of access by PWD
>and non-PWD. I think this is important and has been absent in the
>discussions and definition so far

JB: See comment above.

>- brings the thrust on PWD as is the focus of WAI

JB: Yes

>- Authoring tool accessibility is covered but separately from Web content.
>In the earlier draft the way it was worded, it appeared to be a qualifier
>for access technologies- "including technologies used by some
>  people with disabilities, to access the Web and to build accessible
>Websites "

JB: OK

>- separates the "what is accessibility" from "how it is to be done"

JB: Right

>- The structure has been changed somewhat but I could not make it work any
>other way. However, as I recall, it addresses all our specs.

JB: Yes


>Thanks for your time and patience.
>Regards,
>Sailesh Panchang
>Senior Accessibility Engineer
>Deque Systems Inc,
>Fairfax VA 22033
>* Pioneering Information Accessibility *
>Web: http://www.deque.com
>Telephone: 703-218-8018
>E-mail: sailesh.panchang@deque.com
>Fax: 703-218-5047

-- 
Judy Brewer    +1.617.258.9741    http://www.w3.org/WAI
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
MIT/LCS Room NE43-355, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA,  02139,  USA

Received on Friday, 4 April 2003 01:13:04 UTC