Re: Important: Issues relating to checkpoint 2.1 raised during 30 March teleconference.

>
>   Proposal: Change checkpoint 2.1 to read: "Ensure that
>   the user has access to all alternative equivalents
>   through the user interface."

JRG: I like this concept being clearly stated in the guidelines and I think
it is an important part of 2.1 that is not covered somewhere else in the
guidelines.  I share Ian's concerns with this change and will think about
it some more.  

> 
>Issue 2: Does a source view satisfy checkpoint 2.1?
>
>   Phill Jenkins asked [5] whether a source view would
>   satisfy checkpoint 2.1. 
>
>   I think it is difficult to conclude from the document
>   that a source view is not part of the user interface
>   (and in my opinion, a source view is part of the user 
>   interface).
>
>   However, there seems to be consensus that a
>   source view does not satisfy 2.1
>   (whatever the outcome of Issue 1) because it does not
>   present content in a form that most people can actually
>   use. It is entirely unacceptable to expect a user to
>   read the binary format of a GIF image. It is less
>   unacceptable to expect a user to read the text that's 
>   available in the middle of an HTML file, but that still
>   requires knowledge of the markup language that we
>   should not expect of users (whether or not they
>   have a disability).
>
>   Thus, there seems to be consensus that:
>
>   a) We are not requiring that user agents provide
>      a source view.
>
>   b) A source view would not satisfy 2.1
>
>   c) A source view is useful to some users.
>     

JRG: I don't really think Checkpoint 2.1 has anything to do with source
view.  If you provide a source view it should be accessible.  But I don't
think a source view in of itself makes a user agent more accessible to the
typical user.


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, 31 March 2000 18:05:11 UTC