Re: Question about SC 1.4.2 - can this be met by relying on Windows (or otherwise the platform or user agent) to do it for you?

Kiran,

Hmmm...  What if you had the same number of complex steps to turn audio 
output off in your user agent?  What if you had the same number of 
complex steps to turn audio output off for a specific web page?  In 
both/either of those cases, would the fact that you had a significant 
number of be a WCAG 1.4.2 violation?  All that the SC requires is "a 
mechanism <http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#mechanismdef>... to pause or stop 
the audio" (and the definition of "mechanism" is a "process 
<http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#processdef>or technique for achieving a 
result", where the definition of "process" is a "series of user actions 
where each action is required in order to complete an activity").

It seems to me that however many/few steps are required, doing those 
steps only once is preferable to having to potentially do it each and 
every time you go to a web page.  Further, you can do these 
multiple/complex steps NOW, before you start interacting with 
audio-generating pages (so you don't have to deal with 
multiple/conflicting audio sources while trying to fix the problem).  
That has to be preferable...


Peter

On 6/26/2013 1:25 PM, Kiran Kaja wrote:
>
> Hi Peter,
>
> Aside from the cloud based AT issue, there is another practical 
> problem with the individual volume control feature in Windows 7. The 
> only way to adjust volume for individual applications is to go into 
> the Volume mixer panel, find the setting for that particular 
> application and adjust it. trying to accomplish these steps with text 
> to speech when a webpage has already started playing some awfully loud 
> music is typically impossible. I am afraid that this cannot be a 
> technique that we should be recommending.
>
> Kiran Kaja
>
> Accessibility Program Manager
>
> Adobe Systems
>
> +447833091999 (Mobile)
>
> +44 1628590005 (Direct)
>
> kkaja@adobe.com <mailto:kkaja@adobe.com>
>
> http://twitter.com/kirankaja12
>
> *From:*Peter Korn [mailto:peter.korn@oracle.com]
> *Sent:* 26 June 2013 20:39
> *To:* WCAG
> *Subject:* Question about SC 1.4.2 - can this be met by relying on 
> Windows (or otherwise the platform or user agent) to do it for you?
>
> Colleagues,
>
> I was recently reminded that Windows 7 (and perhaps earlier) has a 
> nice feature in the "Volume Mixer" panel, which provides support for 
> independent, per-application setting of the volume level (including 
> per-application muting).  This specifically allows me to turn down or 
> off the volume of all audio coming from my web user agent.
>
> Would you agree that this would be "a mechanism [that] is available to 
> control audio volume independently from the overall system volume 
> level", such that web pages/apps running on Windows 7 could 
> automatically meet SC 1.4.2 Audio Control?
>
> If so, is this perhaps a potential new success technique for us?  
> Something like "Running on a platform or user agent that allows the 
> volume level to be adjusted or muted either by the user agent or on a 
> per-application basis"?
>
>
> On the other hand...  would doing this effectively prevent the use of 
> cloud-based AT?  If I'm not mistaken, we typically haven't done a lot 
> in our techniques that contemplates web-delivered/cloud-based AT...
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Peter
>
> -- 
> Oracle <http://www.oracle.com>
> Peter Korn | Accessibility Principal
> Phone: +1 650 5069522 <tel:+1%20650%205069522>
> 500 Oracle Parkway | Redwood City, CA 94064
> Green Oracle <http://www.oracle.com/commitment>Oracle is committed to 
> developing practices and products that help protect the environment
>

-- 
Oracle <http://www.oracle.com>
Peter Korn | Accessibility Principal
Phone: +1 650 5069522 <tel:+1%20650%205069522>
500 Oracle Parkway | Redwood City, CA 94064
Green Oracle <http://www.oracle.com/commitment> Oracle is committed to 
developing practices and products that help protect the environment