Fwd: Minutes of March 6 Meeting on Language, Learning and Cognitive Issues

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Loretta Guarino Reid <lorettaguarino@google.com>
Date: Mar 11, 2007 2:09 PM
Subject: Minutes of March 6 Meeting
To: Jonathan Chetwynd <j.chetwynd@btinternet.com>, Sofia Celic <
Sofia.Celic@visionaustralia.org>, Jan Dekelver <jan.dekelver@khk.be>, Chuck
Hitchcock <chitchcock@cast.org>, Hiroshi Kawamura <hkawa@rehab.go.jp>, Gez
Lemon <gez.lemon@gmail.com>, Clayton Lewis <clayton.lewis@colorado.edu>,
Gian Sampson-Wild <gian@tkh.com.au>, Keith Smith <k.smith@bild.org.uk>,
Roberto Scano <rscano@iwa-italy.org>, Lisa Seeman <lisa@ubaccess.com>,
Stephen Shore <Tumbalaika@aol.com>, Nancy Ward <nward@thedesk.info>, Paul
Bowman <pbowman@gmu.edu>, John Slatin <jslatin@mail.utexas.edu>, Elbert
Johns <ejohns@thearclink.org>
Cc: Gregg Vanderheiden <gv@trace.wisc.edu>, Michael Cooper <cooper@w3.org>,
Judy Brewer <jbrewer@w3.org>, Loretta Guarino Reid <
lorettaguarino@google.com>

Minutes of March 6th WCAG Call on Language, Learning and Cognitive
Issues Attendees

   - Sofia Celic
   - Jonathan Chetwynd
   - Michael Cooper
   - Loretta Guarino-Reid
   - Chuck Hitchcock
   - Elbert Johns
   - Hiroshi Kawamura
   - Clayton Lewis
   - Gian Sampson-Wild
   - John Slatin
   - Gregg Vanderheiden
   - Nancy Ward

1. Introduction Meeting goals:

   - get more comments on draft text clarifying how cognitive
   disabilities are covered in WCAG 2.0;
   - discuss an upcoming meeting for a technical walk-through of comments
   on cognitive disabilities in WCAG 2.0;
   - discuss upcoming meetings on how to better address cognitive,
   language and learning disabilities throughout WAI's work;
   - wrap up our first three discussions.

 2. More comments on the clarification of coverage of cognitive, language
and learning disabilities in WCAG 2.0

   - Discussion was held on language to include in WCAG
   - Results of discussion
      - Should have something in more than just the Intro to the
      guidelines (e.g. also in the QuickRef)
      - The following wording for the main clarification to be
      submitted to the WG for consideration:
         - "Although some of the accessibility issues of those with
         cognitive, language, and learning disabilities are addressed
directly or
         indirectly by WCAG 2.0, the WCAG 2.0 guidelines do not
         address many areas of need for people with these
disabilities. There is a
         need for more research and development in this important
area. [If possible
         a link of some sort to resources]."
      - It was requested that this be very close to the front of the
      introduction
      - One suggested that something be put on every success criterion
      that related to language, learning or cognitive disabilities.

3. Discussion about a meeting on Tuesday 13 March 2007 for a technical
walk-through of cognitive issues in WCAG 2.0

   - Meeting will be on Tuesday 13 March
   - All people on call invited to meet with a subgroup from the WCAG
   Working Group
   - Meeting will discuss technical comments on cognitive issues in WCAG
   2.0, answer questions, and work on possible resolutions to issues.
   - Results will be sent to the WCAG Working Group for them to consider

4. Discussion about meetings on how to better address cognitive, language
and learning disabilities throughout WAI's work

   - There will be a meetings to help WAI plan how to better address
   cognitive, language and learning disabilities throughout WAI's work
   - Possible topics for the meeting or follow on work mentioned were
      - Lists of resources on things that exist now
         - To help developer and authors to understand the problem
         - What they can do that goes beyond WCAG 2.0
      - Development of Reading tools that are broadly comparable to
      screen readers but that address the needs of people with
language, learning,
      and cognitive disabilities
         - Easy to get definitions of words in materials
      - Progress on testing methods and the logic of testing
         - Accessibility in general will need to be supported by
         testing
         - Better ways to test for things beneficial to language,
         learning, and cognitive disabilities
      - Easy to use authoring tools are badly needed
      - Involvement of ordinary public in whole W3C process - and
      people with language, learning, and cognitive disabilities in particular
      - Equivalence of Media.
         - Media equivalents for text (picture or movie in addition
         to text)
      - Alternative visual equivalent for textual information
         - For better understanding
         - Use of DAISY / SMIL format for synchronization
      - Configurability including profile based configurability
      - Looking at the growing role of the Web in learning
         - Need to looks at this application area when looking at
         the web.
      - Structure for organizing our thinking about the topics
      associated with language, learning, and cognitive disabilities.
      - Use of RDF and Semantics
      - Memory Aids and Organization Aids