Re: Accessibility Strategy statement

Ian,
The differences in table navigation techniques is the result of the input 
and output technologies supported.  That is the primary reason we require 
support of assistive technologies, is to offer the user other ways to use 
the user agent.  I think that we need to be explicit to developers that 
they are required to make the input and output devices they support 
accessible to people who can use those input and output devices.  I think 
that it is important to state this to comsumers so that they have 
reasonable expectations on what a conforming user agent can provide 
them.  I think it is too ambiguous to say some things will be built-in and 
some things will be available through AT, with out a clarification of what 
is built-in and what is not.

Jon


At 03:40 AM 10/10/2000 -0400, Ian Jacobs wrote:
>Jon Gunderson wrote:
> >
> > Eric Hansen wrote:
> > "Accessibility Strategy"
> >
> > "A user agent that conforms to these guidelines will be tend to be (a)
> > directly accessible through _built-in accessibility features_ and (b)
> > indirectly accessible through _compatibility with other software_
> > (especially assistive technologies) that can provide other important
> > accessibility features that are beyond the scope of this document."
> >
> > Jon Gunderson thinks the following would be clearer:
> > "Accessibility Strategy"
> >
> > "A user agent that conforms to these guidelines will be tend to be directly
> > accessible through the input and output devices supported by the user agent
> > and indirectly more accessible through compatibility with other software
> > (especially assistive technologies) that can provide support for other
> > input and output devices that are not directly supported by the user 
> agent. "
>
>I prefer a slightly more general formulation since there are other
>differences than input/output device. For example, we talk about table
>navigation techniques being in the realm of the AT. That's just one
>example.
>
>  _ Ian
>
>
>
>--
>Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
>Tel:                         +1 831 457-2842
>Cell:                        +1 917 450-8783

Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
MC-574
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 Tuesday, 10 October 2000 09:28:53 UTC