Fwd: Re: Survey for W3C User Agent Guidelines Working Group

Jon,

Below are my responses to the survey:

1. What techniques do you currently use or plan to use to access and
process WWW content for alternative or enhanced rendering for people with
disabilities?

CKL: HPR 2.5 currently uses Netscape's DDE interface to get the raw HTML
data stream. Then HPR parses the HTML itself to create a text view. For
future development of HPR, we are investigating the use of the IE and
Mozilla DOMs.

2. Are you familiar with the W3C Document Object Module (DOM)[1]?

CKL: Yes.

3. If yes to question 2, are you familiar with APIs you can use to access
the DOM implementations of current user agents (i.e. Microsoft
implementation of the DOM in IE 4.0/5.0)?

CKL: Yes.

4. If yes to question 2 and 3, do you think the DOM will meet your needs
for access to WWW content?

CKL: We think the DOM will meet 90-95% of our needs.

5. If yes to question 3 and 4, how complex and resource intensive is it to
>use the DOM to access WWW content?

CKL: With access to the proper documentation and sample code (like
Microsoft's MSDN library and books on how to program the IE5 web browser
control), the work is of medium complexity. No comment on the resources
involved.

6. Indicate which of the following resources would help you in using or
deciding to use the DOM for accessing WWW content.  Respond to each
question with a yes, no or don?t know.

6.a. Demonstration code?

CKL: Yes

6.b. WWW based tutorial materials on DOM capabilities and programming
examples?

CKL: Yes

6.c Face-to-face workshop on DOM capabilities and programming examples?

CKL: Yes

6.d Access to people with expertise in DOM capabilities and programming?

CKL: Yes

6.e Open ended question for you to indicate any other resources that would
help you?

7. Could you please review and comment on current version of the W3C Web
Accessibility Initiative User Agent guidelines [2], especially the
checkpoints related to Guideline 5: Observe system conventions and standard
interfaces [3]?

[1] http://www.w3.org/DOM/
[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/CR-UAAG10-20000128
[3] http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/CR-UAAG10-20000128/#gl-accessible-interface

CKL: I believe one confusing issue for assistive technology developers will
be the use of MSAA and other OS accessible APIs versus document object
models and the W3C DOM. Other than creating an OSM, today document object
models are the primary way to get text content, and MSAA and accessible
APIs are the primary way to get UI information. However, today's document
object models are application/document specific and accessible APIs are
operating system specific. If the W3C DOM architecture adds access to UI,
and accessible APIs add access to any type of document content and its
presentation, application developers will have to implement both DOM and
accessible API interfaces, and assistive technology developers will have to
choose between these two types of standard interfaces, which both have
their limitations. Do we need both of these standard interfaces or is there
a way that the W3C can work with the OS vendors to develop one standard
interface that will provide access to document content and UI across all
document and application types?


Cathy Laws

IBM Accessibility Center
11400 Burnet Road,  Internal Zip 9171
Austin, Texas 78758
Phone: (512) 838-4595, FAX: (512) 838-9367
E-mail: claws@us.ibm.com
Web: http://www.ibm.com/sns


Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Chair, W3C WAI User Agent Working Group
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
College of Applied Life Studies
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
WWW: http://www.w3.org/wai/ua

Received on Friday, 4 February 2000 17:29:25 UTC