IMPORTANT: Need techniques for User Agent Accessibility Guidelines

Hello,

The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
is nearing "last call" for its Guidelines [2].
A Working Group issues a last call for a document that it
considers done (or close to done). Last call involves
review by other working groups (and possibly requests
for implementation experience, for example). After last call,
a document may become a Proposed Recommendation, then a 
Recommendation (I'm skipping the details of the W3C Process,
but people may consult [4] for more information).

In order for the User Agent Guidelines to enter last call, 
we consider it important that the Techniques Document [1] be
complete and solid. Note that the
Techniques Document is not on the track to Recommendation
(like its cousin the Techniques Document for WCAG 1.0,
it is expected to end up being a W3C Note). However, 
a strong Techniques Document will indicate the stability 
of the Guidelines document in at least two ways:

1) It will indicate that we have considered the implications
   of each checkpoint on implementations. Gaps in the techniques
   document will suggest that some checkpoints may not
   be sufficiently cooked. 
 
2) It will show that we have found a balance between the
   "checkpoint" level and the "technique" level. At times,
   we debate whether a requirement should be represented by 
   a checkpoint or a technique. If the techniques document
   has been developed, this should indicate that we are
   comfortable with the distribution of requirements.

The Working Group encourages the Interest Group to review the 
Techniques Document (latest version at [1]) and either 
send comments on existing content or offer to contribute
ideas or content to as yet undeveloped sections. We encourage
you to talk to developers about techniques and encourage them
to send technical information that will allow us to complete
this document.

In particular, the Working Group is interested in comments
about the following topics:

  - Suggestions for implementing checkpoints of the lastest
    UA Guidelines [2].

  - Suggestions for user agent approaches to navigation

  - Suggestions for user agent approaches to searching

  - Information on how dependent user agents and browsers
    can communicate most efficiently.

  - Suggestions for promoting user orientation (e.g., 
    automatically generated structural views, site maps, 
    handling of metadata, etc.)

  - Suggestions on giving the user control of document
    presentation (with or without style sheets).

  - Suggestions about accessible multimedia players.

Please send comments before 11 October, the start date of the 
Working Group's next face-to-face meeting (meeting page [3]).

Thank you,

 - Ian Jacobs

[1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/WAI-USERAGENT-TECHS/
[2] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/WAI-USERAGENT/
[3] http://www.w3.org/WAI/1999/10/ua-agenda
[4] http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/

-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel/Fax:                     +1 212 684-1814
Cell:                        +1 917 450-8783

Received on Tuesday, 7 September 1999 12:14:15 UTC