overview of issues

What follows is the current text of a web page that we will be
maintaining to clarify the state of HTML (and possibly CSS) requests
to be communicated from the WAI to the HTML and CSS working groups.

This page is on the web at http://www.w3c.org/WAI/group/HC/guide.html .

Judy Brewer has explained the process.  This message surveys
the way we have grouped the issues.  Five following messages
will cover the major areas we are particularly asking you to comment
on.  Keep in touch with the reading guide through the week for
a cumulative view of results.

Thanks,
--
Al Gilman, for the HTML4/CSS2 Review Working Group

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           Reading Guide for use in HTML4/CSS2 Accessibility Review
                                       
   Last revised October 16. 1997
   
   This web page provides a guide to materials supporting the WAI
   Interest Group review of HTML4 and CSS2 recommendations nominated by
   the HC Working Group. The recommendations are summarized very tersely,
   and decorated with a few links to influential source materials. This
   page will be maintained to try to keep it within 24 hours of current
   with respect to the IG list discussion during the period from October
   15th to October 22nd.
   
How to use this document

   Monitor this document at  http://www.w3c.org/WAI/group/HC/guide.html
   to know the latest state of our work progress and plans.
   
   Where this document refers to messages in the email archives, please
   take advantage of the thread index to read related discussion before
   and after the cited message.
   
   Post email to w3c-wai-ig@w3.org to contribute to the Interest Group
   review of these issues and proposals.
   
Review of the issues

  OPTION -- Making  SELECT structures with lots of OPTIONs comprehensible.
  
   Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     *  Propose something at the level of functionality comparable to the
       original proposal.
     * Clarify what is actually critical for accessibility in this area
       by discussion with the Interest Group.
       
  TABLE -- Making TABLEs comprehensible.
  
   The  baseline operational concept in the HC mail archives should be
   regarded as having a rough consensus of support. The implication is
   that the HTML should contain enough information for browsers to
   perform these functions.
   
   Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * Seek table reformatting functions from browser providers; refer
       issue to WAI Browser Guidelines group for further work.
     * add  SCOPE attribute.
     * Clarify summary attribute to say that where there is a caption,
       the summary should be written as if it will be said after the
       caption.
     * address classes of tables (read by columns, read by rows, etc.) in
       the markup guidelines using the existing CLASS attribute. Refer to
       WAI Markup Guidelines group for further development, in
       cooperation with the Browser Guidelines Working Group.
     * Implement  LINK and META enhancements in HTML4 to support
       experimentation by the WAI activities.
       
  DESC -- Text associated with images
  
    Background -- for reference: variety of practices integrating image
    descriptions and image alternatives with images in hypertext literature.
    See the GL group area.
    
   Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * Work with LONGDESC on IMG; normally inlined in the absense of
       image display
     * ADD TITLE and LONGDESC to FRAME and IFRAME
     * OBJECT contents scanned for links with AREA on them which function
       like a MAP entry when the image DATA of the object is displayed.
       
  REF -- Associating HTML contents with external resources.
  
   Uses or requirements:
     * Data publishers may wish to link TABLE to a resource (URL) which
       clarifies data usage in the table.
     * It is not safe to assume that all tables in one HTML document are
       to be associated with the same such data dictionary (or rough
       equivalent).
     * Audio output [in general, not just for persons with disabilities]
       will want access to pronunciation dictionaries.
     * Acronyms and foreign languages are other applications for such
       links.
     * Stylesheets selectively applied to quotes etc.
       
   Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * Seek review from RDF group
     * Implement at least enough  LINK and META enhancements to ensure
       that dictionaries, including data dictionaries, can be TARGETed to
       an arbitrary HTML container element.
       
  MEDIA -- Classifying user display and control
  
   Introduction to the  MEDIA types issue.
   
   Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * add another top-level media type named either CONSOLE or TTY for
       character-grid and line-mode displays
     * change wording around list of predefined MEDIA values to make the
       list extensible. A browser _may_ ignore media indications that do
       not match this list.
     * Refer further work on how browser should handle this to browser
       guidelines group.
       
  Lesser issues The following issues have been discussed in the HC group but
  appear to be straighforward or otherwise not meriting a lot of discussion in
  the brief time we have for Interest Group review. Preserving the logical
  reading order of text.
  
   Example of problems as documented in the TRACE guidelines.
  
  Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * Browser functions to crack tables referred to Browser Guidelines
       WG for refinement.
     * Explicit order-of-reading markup of text fragments referred to
       Markup Guidelines working group for consideration.   LINK and META
       enhancements to be implemented in in HTML4 to give the guidelines
       group enough capability to work with.
       
  For background, search  The HC list archives for "order". Browse both
  quarters; the thread runs over. Image used as list bulletThe issue has to do
  with text alternatives to list bullets defined by an image file.
  
  Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
     * No change required to HTML.
     * Continue work with CSS group in Markup Guidelines activity of WAI.
       
  Controlling dynamic features
  
  Gregg Vanderheiden copied over  a good summary by Kelly Ford. For more
  background search the webwatch-l  digest archive for "dynamism".
  
  Suggested WAI recommendations from HC Working Group:
  Refer to Browser Guidelines and Markup Guidelines for further consideration.

Received on Thursday, 16 October 1997 12:17:30 UTC