Re: Fwd: Indicating Compliance

Two major items in the 508 standards [1]  that aren't in WCAG 1.0, but that 
we will probably want to address in WCAG 2.0, are items L and M, which 
allow web pages to require scripting, applets, and other programming, 
provided that:

quote
(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create 
interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be 
identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application 
be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must 
provide a link to a plug-in or applet that [are accessible per other 508 
requirements].
end quote

In contrast WCAG 1.0 requires that the pages be usable when scripting, 
applets, etc. are not supported.

It also requires
(n) ability to complete on-line forms (although I don't understand why this 
was made separate)

(o"A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive 
navigation links."

(p)"When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given 
sufficient time to indicate more time is required."

The 508 standards do not require that pages utilizing tables for layout 
make sense when linearized, an omission I think is quite unfortunate (I 
also think it's unfortunate it's only a priority 2 in WCAG 1.0 since pages 
can become unusable if reading order is bad [2]; and that low priority in 
WCAG 1.0 may have contributed to it's omission from the 508 regs.)

Len


[1] http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm
[2] http://astro.temple.edu/~kasday/wai/backwards.html

At 05:45 PM 1/12/01 -0500, Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
>The Section 508 rules talk about their relation to WCAG...
>
>in very rough summary they are similar to level-A conformance, but there are
>a few differences.
>
>Charles McCN
>
>On Fri, 12 Jan 2001, Kynn Bartlett wrote:
>
>   At 05:11 PM 1/12/2001 , Anne Pemberton wrote:
>   >         Do you see meeting the 508 requirements as Priority 1, 
> Priority 2, or
>   >something else?
>
>   Something else.  It's a different set of guidelines, sorta like
>   how WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0 are different sets of guidelines.
>
>   --Kynn
>
>
>
>--
>Charles McCathieNevile    mailto:charles@w3.org    phone: +61 (0) 409 134 136
>W3C Web Accessibility Initiative                      http://www.w3.org/WAI
>Location: I-cubed, 110 Victoria Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
>until 6 January 2001 at:
>W3C INRIA, 2004 Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, 
>France

--
Leonard R. Kasday, Ph.D.
Institute on Disabilities/UAP and Dept. of Electrical Engineering at Temple 
University
(215) 204-2247 (voice)                 (800) 750-7428 (TTY)
http://astro.temple.edu/~kasday         mailto:kasday@acm.org

Chair, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Evaluation and Repair Tools Group
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/

The WAVE web page accessibility evaluation assistant: 
http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/