Re: HTML Writers Guild sets accessibility requirements for Guild pages, co-branding partners

Kynn,
 
congratulations to you and the board. On the one hand this seems like a
logical step by the HWG given its involvement in W3C working groups (WAI and
non-WAI groups), but making a public announcement of it is bound to help the
wider community understanding of accessiblity as a basic technical issue.

Cheers

Charles McCN

On Wed, 10 Nov 1999, Kynn Bartlett wrote:

  The Governing Board of the HTML Writers Guild has just voted to
  adopt the motion quoted below, which requires not only that the
  HWG's web services be accessible to our members with disabilities,
  but also that our partners, on co-branded pages that bear the Guild's
  name, are held to the same levels of accessibility.
  
  Our baseline level is single-A (priority 1) compliance with the
  WCAG, but look for that to increase as the Guild works on our own 
  accessibility requirements document.  (To be released soon.)
  
  By requiring this not only of ourselves but also of those who seek
  to partner with the Guild, we may risk turning down some deals, but
  we may also send a strong signal that the Guild doesn't just "talk
  the talk" -- we walk the walk on web accessibility, and it's not just
  a good idea around the HWG virtual guildhall...it's a core principle
  of the way we view the web.
  
  Personally speaking, I'm proud of the Guild's Board for taking this
  stand.  With over 107,000 members world-wide, I am pleased to be
  part of an organization that is willing to use our influence and
  our voice to stand up for what's right -- and web accessibility,
  my friends, is _right_.
  
  --Kynn
  
  Text of the motion follows:
  
  >HWG Governing Board member Kynn has submitted the following
  >motion for consideration by the Governing Board: 
  >
  >Moved: All web sites operated or co-operated by the HTML Writers
  >Guild must meet standards of accessibility to disabled and
  >other users.  This standard of accessibility shall at least
  >equal minimal (Single-A) compliance with the W3C's Web
  >Content Accessibility Guidelines; further accessibility
  >considerations for specific types of content may be 
  >added to this standard by executive decision of the President
  >or a designated subcommittee on web accessibility.
  >
  >Allowances clause:
  >
  >Specific allowances or exceptions MAY be made on a case-by-case
  >basis, by a full vote of the Board.
  >
  >Grandfather clause:
  >
  >The Guild will contact existing partners who may not measure up
  >to our accessibility standards, and offer to work with them on
  >increasing the accessibility of their web sites.  The Board may
  >have the option of granting allowances on these cases if deemed
  >appropriate.
  >
  >Level Single-A Compliance:
  >
  >The single-A level of compliance with the Web Content Accessibility
  >Guidelines is defined as meeting all the applicable Priority 1
  >checkpoints.  Those consist of:
   >
   > [Checkpoints snipped]
  >         
  >References:
  >
  >Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  >http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
  >
  >WCAG Checkpoints
  >http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html
  >
  >
  >Reasons: The HTML Writers Guild is one of the leading proponents of
  >"correctly done" HTML authoring -- which includes not only
  >validation but accessibility.  Therefore, our own sites 
  >_must_ be made accessible to Guild members with disabilities;
  >to do otherwise is to adopt a "do as I say, not as I do"
  >attitude.
  >
  >This resolution would also apply to partners who seek to
  >co-brand a site with us; accessibility is required for all
  >pages identified as "official Guild projects", and therefore
  >all partners would be asked to meet the same standard of
  >accessibility that we ask of ourselves.  This will allow
  >Guild members with disabilities to have access to any and
  >all services provided by the HTML Writers Guild to our
  >members. 
  >
  >Second provided by Ann Navarro.
  
  -- 
  Kynn Bartlett                                    mailto:kynn@hwg.org
  President, HTML Writers Guild                    http://www.hwg.org/
  AWARE Center Director                          http://aware.hwg.org/
  

--Charles McCathieNevile            mailto:charles@w3.org
phone: +1 617 258 0992   http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative    http://www.w3.org/WAI
MIT/LCS  -  545 Technology sq., Cambridge MA, 02139,  USA

Received on Sunday, 14 November 1999 19:55:09 UTC