RE: consideration for wcag.next and cognitive

From: lisa.seeman [mailto:lisa.seeman@zoho.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2016 6:00 AM

When our work is published some peoples first reaction might be that it is ridicules or even unfair that they should be expected to accommodate our user groups.

If it is an extension we can argue that this extension is for people and groups who have decided to accommodate as many people as they can.  And then people and policy makers will need to go away and think where do they stand. They will have to have a conversation. There might be a law case or two (once there is clear guidance on what you could have done and did not do, then there is a legal case to be made for inclusion) . The business case will be considered, and the real numbers and loss of business and distributed cost to the economy will come to light and that the only way forward,  from a moral or from an economic point of view, will be to include coga. I believe policy makers will get there. But I do not think it will be on day one.

I would like to see well justified and effective strategies for improve Web accessibility to people with cognitive disabilities included in the next revision of WCAG, beyond the requirements that we now have.

I also think the role of personalization needs to be carefully considered. In cases where benefiting one group of users occurs at the expense of another, the traditional approach of WCAG would recommend placing all of the relevant success criteria at Level AAA. Personalization based on declared individual needs and preferences has attracted considerable interest over the last decade, and for good reasons, as it allows customized user interfaces to be delivered to different users who have distinct, even incompatible, needs.

Suppose that WCAG 2.x-conformant content is what you receive if no individual preferences are declared, but that if you decide to disclose your individual needs and preferences, a more customized and therefore accessible version suited to your requirements is available. Decisions need to be made about the circumstances in which it is fair and appropriate to ask for disclosure of individual requirements (potentially revealing that a person has a disability) in exchange for more accessible content. In connection with people who have learning and cognitive disabilities, this presents the further challenge that some of them may not be in a good position to understand the implications of disclosure and to decide whether it is appropriate.

WCAG is currently silent about personalization. We need a rigorous and thoughtful conversation about whether this should remain the case, and if not, how the emergence of personalization techniques should influence the future of WCAG and related work.


________________________________

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or confidential information. It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if addressed incorrectly. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute, or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and delete it from your system. Any other use of this e-mail is prohibited.


Thank you for your compliance.

________________________________