HTML4/CSS2 review

Hello all
 
The HTML & CSS Working Groups are putting the final touches on the
HTML 4.0 and CSS 2 specifications and hope to finalize their
recommendation at meetings on November 11-13.

Accessibility concerns for these documents need be raised in a written
proposal and communicated by October 22nd to both W3C working groups.

This schedule puts a great deal of pressure on the WAI effort, and we
must organize to accomodate the HTML & CSS Working Group's deadline
without unduly affecting the future work of the WAI effort.

To that effect, we are creating a very short (one or two months)
highly focused working group whose task is to review and produce a
list of "request for changes" of the soon-to-be recommended HTML4 and
CSS2 specifications.

The Format and Protocol Working Group which we have described in our
recent "Next Steps" message will carry forward similar work of
creating technical proposals to other W3C working groups, but without
the October 22 deadline.
 

The WAI/group pages have been updated accordingly, so look there for
more details. 

Official Call for Participation sent to the W3C membership follows.

===================================================

* HTML4 & CSS2 Accessibility Review Working Group.

Code name: WAI-HC working group.

* WAI-HC Working group tasks

The working group will work to deliver two documents:

  1. A list of current issues with the HTML 4 specification and
     proposed improvements. 

  2. A list of current issues with the CSS 2 specification and
     proposed improvements.

  On Oct 15th, these two documents produced by this group will be sent
  out for approval to the WAI Interest Group.  

  On Oct 22nd, revised documents will be communicated to the HTML and
  CSS Working Groups.

  The WAI Interest group review will continue until the days before the
  WAI/HTML/CSS meetings in November.


* WAI-HC Working group scope

Discussions have already started on the WAI regular forum and a list
of work items to be considered to be in the scope of this group
already exists:
    - LIST image support 
    - better media types to link in style sheet 
    - dictionary LINK convention 
    - clarify alternate SS semantics 
    - reading-order issue 
    - FRAME title 
    - TABLE structure
    - longdesc attributes on IMG
    - Footnote
    - Section Numbering
    - Access to attribute values in CSS.
    - Prefix/Suffix of text
   
A mailing list (w3c-wai-hc@w3.org), a web area (WAI/group/HC), and
weekly conference calls will be the normal way of communicating within
the group.

* Working Group People

We encourage people whose area of competence are HTML, CSS, and
Accessibility to join this group.

A core set of WAI participants (the set which has been the most active
on the existing WAI list since its creation) will be explicitly asked
to participate.

* Participation Level.

Employees of W3C members and other invited technical experts are
welcome and encouraged to participate in our listserv discussions.

In the interest of meeting our aggressive dates, working group members
must be ready to commit to the deadline imposed by the group agenda in
the coming month in reviewing and producing/editing documents.

If you want to join the WAI-HC working group, please contact
danield@w3.org as soon as possible (and no later than September 24nd
to be useful).

Received on Thursday, 18 September 1997 04:28:48 UTC