Global AT requirements

In response to my action item, the following features are things that should
be present in all applications on a PC, and not unique to a user agent.  As
such, rather than requiring these features to be native in a UA, they would
be better provided as an umbrella AT that works with all applications on the
PC.

Checkpoint 4.13 Allow the user to control how the selection is highlighted
(e.g., foreground and background color). - This should use system
conventions, rather than being set within the user agent.

Checkpoint 4.14 Allow the user to control how the content focus is
highlighted (e.g., foreground and background color).  - Same as above

Checkpoint 7.1 Allow the user to navigate viewports (including frames). -
Navigating viewports is similar conceptually from flipping between windows.
Moving between frames is similar.  A person with a disability would need an
overall means of jumping from application to application, and that general
method might be extended within the UA for viewport navigation, especially
with the multiple interation model used in current Microsoft products.

Checkpoint 8.4 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through
a standard interface where available) the current viewport, selection, and
content focus. - As above, the problem here is not unique to user agents.  A
general solution through AT would be better than having each application
create a unique means for identifying the current viewport.

Checkpoint 10.6 Allow the user to configure the user agent in named profiles
that may be shared on systems with distinct user accounts. - Note that
Windows 9x - 2000 allows user configurations for the general environment.
Likewise for OS9 on the Mac.  When possible, these named configurations
should respond to the system user configurations and be bound to them, so
that you need identify youself only once when logging onto the computer.

Checkpoint 9.6 Indicate the relative position of the viewport in content
(e.g., the percentage of an audio or video clip that has been played, the
percentage of a Web page that has been viewed, etc.). - This is a general
problem that applies to all media where the whole content cannot be viewed
at once.  When possible, the generic solution should be used.

Checkpoint 4.1 Allow the user to control font family.
Checkpoint 4.2 Allow the user to control the size of text.
Checkpoint 4.3 Allow the user to control foreground color.
Checkpoint 4.4 Allow the user to control background color. - These are all
system-wide issues, and should be handled by the OS or by AT (probably the
OS in most cases)

Checkpoint 4.5 Allow the user to slow the presentation rate of audio, video,
and animations.
Checkpoint 4.8 Allow the user to control the position of captions on
graphical displays.
Checkpoint 4.9 Allow the user to control synthesized speech playback rate.
Checkpoint 4.10 Allow the user to control synthesized speech volume.
Checkpoint 3.2 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of background
audio.
Checkpoint 3.3 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of video.
Checkpoint 3.4 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of audio. - These
processes are not unique to browsers, and general multimedia controls should
be used across applications.  Many browsers now render such things via
"helper applications" which are not part of the general UA, put specialty
rendering agents.  These rendering agents should provide the required
functionality in all applications, not uniquely in browsers.

Received on Thursday, 6 January 2000 09:27:31 UTC