RE: WCAG Guidelines and Support DocumentsV2.doc

Hi Tim,

 

answers below marked GV:    

 


Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 

 

 


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From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Tim Boland
Subject: Re: WCAG Guidelines and Support DocumentsV2.doc

Would each SC have at least one "sufficient" technique (for satisfying the
SC) associated with it (in other words, would every Guide Document include
at each one such "sufficient" technique - referring to item #3 in Overview)?



GV:  That is the plan.  Will put it in explicitly if it is not there.  (What
we have is structure rather than procedure which is why it probably doesn't
appear.)

 

 

 

Also, how is it objectively determined (measured) to be "known" to be
sufficient" for satisfying a SC (referring to third paragraph following
"Guide Documents" heading?    Is such a process of determination documented
anywhere?   I was not able to locate such documentation.

 

GV:  Known and documented  - is determined by whether it is in our docs.


"believed to be sufficient" determinations will be made by consensus of the
WG. 




 

 

Finally, if content is "available" in a form that would "satisfy" a SC
(referring to third sentence, third paragraph following "Tests" heading),
how would such availability and satisfaction be objectively determined, if
not via a "sufficient" technique? 

 

GV:  The author can use another technique that may be sufficient - but was
not known or documented.   A technique does not need to be known by WG to be
sufficient. 

 

 

 

The implication to me when considering the second and third sentences
together in the third paragraph following "Tests" heading is that some other
measure of satisfaction would be used for a form of available content
besides use of a "sufficient" technique.   If this is a correct assumption
on my part,
what would the other measure be?



GV:  Any author can deem any technique they think of as being sufficient.
If an author makes a claim of conformance that is in fact what they have
done.  They are claiming that what they have done is sufficient to conform.


 

GV:  Now if they have poor judgment and it isn't really sufficient, then
someone may call them on it.   In that case they would be in better shape if
they had the W3C judgment as what they followed than if they just relied on
their own.  But even our judgments could be called into question in a court
and overturned.  We do not make laws.  Just a standard.   And only our
Guideline is normative.  

 

GV:  Note that the version of our Guide Docs that is available when the WCAG
2.0 is approved will have special significance since it was available for
those who approved the Guidelines when the guidelines were approved.   

 

 

Does this help? 

 

 

 

Does


I apologize in advance for any misunderstandings or misinterpretations on my
part, as I read through this document rather quickly.



GV:  Not at all.  Good questions.   In fact I'm keeping these to use to add
explanation to the docs as we move them forward toward approval. 

 

 

 


Thanks and best wishes,
Tim Boland NIST