- From: Jon Gunderson <jongund@staff.uiuc.edu>
- Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 11:46:43 -0600
- To: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
This is a proposal for checkpoints related to Table Accessibility for Desktop Graphical User Agent and Assistive Techmology Conformance. The conformance checkpoints for each are divided into sections that are clearly marked. There is NO single tables section of the current working draft, therefore the checkpoints related to tables are listed under an appropriate guideline for that checkpoint. The guideline a checkpoint is listed under is stated as part of this proposal. Note: Some checkpoints listed in this proposal are more general than providing access to table elements. Please review and respond to the list. We will discuss this and any other proposals related to table access and conformance issues during the telecon next week. Jon Checkpoints Related to Desktop Graphical User Agent Conformance for Tables ========================================================== The following 3 checkpoints are in the compatibility sections of the user agent guidelines. These checkpoints do not exclusively relate to table access issues, but are needed in Desktop Graphical User Agents for asssitive technologies to provide efficient access to table element information. The following are proposed to be part of the conformance subset for Desktop Graphical User Agents (IE, Navigator, Opera): Under Guideline 6.1 "Support language accessibility features" would have the following checkpoint: (Note: the word "language" in the guideline name will change to "markup" in next version of the working draft) Checkpoint 6.1.4 [Priority 1] Fully implement the Document Object Model Level 1 Rationale: This provides the information needed by assistive technologies to access the content of a document for rendering information in a way that is usable by persons with disabilities, including determining table cell data and header relationships. Under Guideline 6.2 "Use and provide accessible interfaces to other technologies" would have the following checkpoints: Checkpoint 6.2.6: [Priority 1] Provide a means for assistive technology to access the user agents Document Object Model Rationale: The document object model must be exposed to assistive technologies for assistive technology developers to benefit from the user agent’s implementation of the DOM. This should be done using standard operating system interfaces that are used and supported for inter-process communication. Checkpoint 6.2.7: [Priority 1] Provide a means for the user to execute a script at the end of loading (onload event in HTML 4.0 specification) and document changed (may not be defined in current W3C standards) events. Rationale: This checkpoint allows the user to improve the rendering of documents for legacy assistive technologies that are not aware or do not use contemporary object models or accessibility APIs to directly access the content of the document for alternative renderings. For example, scripts can be developed for legacy screen readers that would allow for table linearization and the addition of keyboard commands for rudimentary navigation. The scripts could be made available by the developers of the legacy technology or through other public channels. Scripts could also be developed for improved compatibility with other types of legacy assistive technology and to have custom keyboard navigation systems. This checkpoint is primarily an interim solution to the problem of legacy assistive technology and to provde custom or "ad hoc" accessibility features that is not available through assisitve technology. Checkpoints related to Assistive Technology Conformance for Tables ================================================================= The following checkpoints are proposed for conformance subset for assistive technologies for providing access to tables (note the Priority 2 items would not be required for conformance): Under Guideline 4.3 "Allow the user to chose formatting solutions" would have the following checkpoints: Checkpoint 4.3.1 [Priority 1] Allow the user to view one table cell at a time with associated header information Rationale: Users must have access to the contents of an individual cell and know what the associated header information is for that cell. This can be used by speech, Braille or enlargement assistive technologies. Checkpoint 4.3.2 [Priority 2] Allow the user to view one row or one column of a table at a time with associated header information Rationale: In some cases rendering a row or column of information is important for efficiently accessing the information of the document. Checkpoint 4.3.3 [Priority 1 or 2] Allow the user to request assumptions be made about table header information when table header information is not available or is incomplete. Rationale: This is a table repair technique for poorly written documents that include tables. Underline Guideline 5.5 "Allow keyboard navigation of the document and views of the document" would have the following checkpoints: Checkpoint 5.5.2 [Priority 1] Allow users to navigate between cells of a table Rationale: Basic navigation commands like left/right, up/down and beginning/end are needed for efficient access to table information. The concept of a cell focus (point of regard) would be implied by the functionality, rather than explicitly stated in the checkpoint. It is important since tables are a unique structure within a document. The guidelines should highlight the unique navigation that is required for efficient table element navigation. Checkpoint 5.5.3 [Priority 1] Allow users to navigate between structural elements of the document Rationale: This is a general statement on structural navigation of document content. But it relates to tables because it would include the ability to move between nested tables, since the nesting is a structural component of the document. Checkpoint 5.2.7 [Priority 1 or 2] (modification of current checkpoint) Provide the user with information about the about a table and the current table cell Rationale: The user should be able to ask the system at any time about the summary attribute information, the size of the current table, the row/column position of the current cell they are viewing in the table and if the table is embedded in another table. This can help the user orient to the document structure and plan their navigation strategy. Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign 1207 S. Oak Street Champaign, IL 61820 Voice: 217-244-5870 Fax: 217-333-0248 E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu WWW: http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund http://www.als.uiuc.edu/InfoTechAccess
Received on Friday, 22 January 1999 12:45:48 UTC