Re: [Online Overview] What is Web Accessibility? slide

This is where we got to by the end of our EOWG discussion today, thanks to 
everyone's help in the meeting.

Regards,

- Judy


What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means access to the Web by everyone, regardless of 
disability.

Web accessibility includes:
- Web sites and applications
         -- that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, 
navigate, and interact with;
- Web browsers and media players
         -- that can be used effectively by people with disabilities, and
         -- that work well with assistive technologies that some people 
with disabilities use to access the Web;
- Web authoring tools, and evolving Web technologies
         -- that support production of accessible Web content and Web 
sites, and
         -- that are usable by people with disabilities.

###

At 01:05 AM 4/4/2003 -0500, Judy Brewer wrote:

>For discussion at EOWG meeting today 4 April 2003:
>
>Proposed text for slide follows. This does not solve all concerns raised 
>to date -- I am not sure that we will be able to do so and reach consensus 
>-- but attempts to improve on a slide on which we had considerable 
>consensus, by incorporating some comments and suggestions which have been 
>raised.
>
>----------------
>
>[PROPOSAL]
>
>What is Web Accessibility?
>
>Web accessibility means access to the Web by everyone, regardless of 
>disability.
>
>Web accessibility includes:
>- Web sites and Web applications
>         -- that are perceivable, operable, navigable, and understandable 
> by people with disabilities;
>- Web browsers and media players
>         -- that can be used effectively by people with disabilities, and
>         -- that work well with assistive technologies that some people 
> with disabilities use to access the Web;
>- Web authoring tools
>         -- that are usable by people with disabilities, and
>         -- that support production of accessible Web content and Web sites;
>- evolving Web technologies
>         -- not only HTML and CSS, but XML, the Semantic Web, and more
>         -- that support accessibility requirements of people with 
> disabilities.
>
>---------------------
>
>[BACKGROUND]
>
>We need to resolve the question of what to put on the "What is Web 
>Accessibility?" slide that we decided, in January, to add near the 
>beginning of the Online Overview of the Web Accessibility Initiative:
>         http://www.w3.org/Talks/WAI-Intro/
>
>We've discussed it at several of EOWG meetings over the past few months, 
>and were close to agreement on an approach. Then concerns were raised 
>which we discussed at length in our teleconference on 7 February 2003:
>         http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/2003/0207.html#overview
>
>After extensive discussion, we decided to keep the proposed slide largely 
>the same, though shifting the focus slightly in certain areas if possible, 
>including:
>         - be more forwards-compatible with regard to evolving technologies;
>         - emphasize a more interactive Web;
>         - try to use terminology that speaks better to the technical 
> community while not leaving behind non-technical audiences.
>
>Since then, several people have offered different ideas and/or new 
>versions, some of which have been discussed on the list, including 
>Sailesh's suggestion:
>         http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-eo/2003JanMar/0056.html
>but none of which seem to have gained broad acceptance.
>
>Some of these build on Al's email, and show how differently we could 
>approach this:
>         http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-eo/2003JanMar/0075.html
>for instance this excerpt:
>         "A Web which offers equal access to people with disabilities is 
> one where the performance on the [above] three axes: complete delivery of 
> information, complete access to outcomes, and effective command of the 
> process -- is subtantially the same for people with disabilities and for 
> people without disabilities."
>
>While on one level this seems to be a much more comprehensive & effective 
>answer to the question of what is Web accessibility, it is abstract enough 
>that I do not know if a lay (non-technical) reader would easily grasp it 
>-- and we want to keep readers engaged past the first few slides.
>
>Comments on the above are welcome.
>
>- Judy
>
>
>--
>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

-- 
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 13:10:59 UTC