- From: Ian B. Jacobs <ij@w3.org>
- Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 14:15:14 -0400
- To: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
Dear UAWG, I am very pleased to announce the beginning of the last call review of UAAG 1.0. I just sent the following email to the (Member-only) chairs list. The review ends 18 September. Congratulations on a job well done! Our next steps will be to: a) Track review comments. b) Continue work on the evaluation report c) Continue work on test suites Thank you for your support, - Ian ============================================================ Dear Chairs, On behalf of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG) [1], I am pleased to announce the publication of the 21 August 2002 "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" (UAAG 1.0) last call Working Draft. The document is available at: http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-UAAG10-20020821/ The last call review period ends 18 Sep 2002. Please send review comments before that date to w3c-wai-ua@w3.org (archives [2]). The UAWG has scheduled this review period based on comments received as a result of our request to the Chairs [3, W3C Members only]. The UAWG also encourages review of the 21 August 2002 "Techniques for User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" Working Draft, even though this document is not in last call. The UAWG expects to publish the Techniques document as a companion W3C Note should UAAG 1.0 become a W3C Recommendation. This Techniques document is available at: http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-UAAG10-TECHS-20020821/ Please find below the following information: * Which groups should review this document * UAWG expectations for this review * Primary changes since the CR draft * Checkpoints with low implementation experience * Test suite, evaluation tools * Objections * Patent disclosures * The abstract and status sections of both documents I look forward to your review comments, - Ian Jacobs, W3C Team Contact for the UAWG [1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/ [2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/ [3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/chairs/2002JulSep/0026 ======================================== Which groups should review this document ======================================== While the UAWG welcomes review from all interested parties, we request review specifically from the following W3C groups: DOM WG HTML WG Internationalization WG/IG SYMM IG SVG WG Protocols and Formats WG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WG Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines WG The W3C Director will appreciate a response (sent to w3c-wai-ua@w3.org), with or without review comments. ================================= UAWG expectations for this review ================================= The Director advanced UAAG 1.0 to its Second Candidate Recommendation on 12 Sep 2001 [4]. The UAWG has spent the past year gathering implementation experience and clarifying the document based on in-depth discussions with user agent and assistive technology developers. The UAWG has not made substantial technical changes other than to remove some checkpoints for which there was low implementation experience; see details below. In this fourth last call review, the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is primarily interested in comments on changes since the Candidate Recommendation. The Working Group does not expect to make substantial changes to this document as the result of this review; the document has already received substantial technical feedback in earlier reviews. The UAWG does expect to make clarifications and to record issues to be addressed after UAAG 1.0. Similarly, the Working Group does not expect to re-open old issues (e.g., checkpoint priorities) except if presented with substantial new information. The UAWG issues lists are available from the UAWG home page [1]. The most recent issues list is available at [5]. The UAWG agreed to return to last call at its 25 July 2002 teleconference [6]. [4] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2001JulSep/0025 [5] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/issues/issues-linear-cr2 [6] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/2002JulSep/0051 ================================== Primary changes since the CR draft ================================== As a result of the second Candidate Recommendation period, the UAWG: a) Deleted or modified some checkpoint provisions. b) Retained some checkpoints despite low implementation experience. c) Added one checkpoint regarding API access to some rendering information. The chapter on conformance has been greatly simplified since the Candidate Recommendation. A summary of major changes to checkpoints [7] is available on the Web, as is the complete list of changes [8]. [7] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2002/06/checkpoint-overview [8] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/wai-ua-wd-changes ============================================== Checkpoints with low implementation experience ============================================== The UAWG has documented implementation of UAAG 1.0 requirements in an implementation report [9] (updated since the pre-CR implementation report). This draft report indicates that 92% of the checkpoints have two or more implementations that are complete or almost complete, and 99% of the checkpoints have one or more implementation. The report clearly lists the checkpoints for which there is still only partial implementation experience. The UAWG expects to continue to gather implementation experience during this review. Reviewers are encouraged to make the UAWG aware of implementations of UAAG 1.0 requirements. After this last call review, the UAWG plans to request that the Director advance this document directly to Proposed Recommendation status despite low implementation experience for five checkpoints. The UAWG considers these checkpoints important to promoting accessibility and wishes that they remain in the document. [9] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/impl-pr2/ ============================ Test suite, evaluation tools ============================ The UAWG developed the following materials during the CR review period: * Test suite. The UAWG has made good progress on a test suite for UAAG 1.0 requirements [10]. The test suite includes a number of tests for HTML 4.01 as well as some multimedia tests. The UAWG is still early in its work on UAAG 1.0 test suites, and is coordinating its efforts with the QA Working Group. The available materials have already helped developers better understand the requirements of UAAG 1.0. * Evaluation tools. The UAWG has developed an interactive (form-based) tool [11] to assist people who are evaluating whether a user agent satisfies the requirements of UAAG 1.0. * Documentation. Beyond the explanations in UAAG 1.0 itself, the draft document "How to evaluate a user agent for conformance to UAAG 1.0" [12] provides additional guidance in the evaluation process. [10] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/TS/html401/ [11] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2002/08/eval [12] http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2001/10/eval ========== Objections ========== There have been no objections raised or withdrawn since those raised prior to the second Candidate Recommendation. Those still in effect from earlier reviews are listed here: http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2001/08/lc3-dispo#objections ================== Patent disclosures ================== There are currently no patent disclosures regarding UAAG 1.0. Patent disclosures regarding UAAG 1.0 are listed here: http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/disclosures ==================== Abstract of UAAG 1.0 ==================== This document provides guidelines for designing user agents that lower barriers to Web accessibility for people with disabilities (visual, hearing, physical, cognitive, and neurological). User agents include HTML browsers and other types of software that retrieve and render Web content. A user agent that conforms to these guidelines will promote accessibility through its own user interface and through other internal facilities, including its ability to communicate with other technologies (especially assistive technologies). Furthermore, all users, not just users with disabilities, are expected to find conforming user agents to be more usable. In addition to helping developers of HTML browsers, media players, etc., this document will also benefit developers of assistive technologies because it explains what types of information and control an assistive technology may expect from a conforming user agent. Technologies not addressed directly by this document (e.g., technologies for braille rendering) will be essential to ensuring Web access for some users with disabilities. ========================== Status section of UAAG 1.0 [Minus some boilerplate] ========================== This is the 21 August 2002 Last Call Working Draft of "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0". The last call review period ends 18 September 2002. Last Call Working Draft status is described in section 5.2.2 of the Process Document. Since the previous Candidate Recommendation draft, the UAWG has gathered implementation experience and clarified the document based on in-depth discussions with user agent and assistive technology developers. As a result of the second Candidate Recommendation period, the UAWG: 1. deleted or modified some checkpoint provisions with low implementation experience; 2. retained some checkpoints despite low implementation experience; 3. added one checkpoint regarding API access to some rendering information. The chapter on conformance has also been greatly simplified since the Candidate Recommendation. The complete list of changes is available on the Web. In this review, the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is primarily interested in comments on changes since the Candidate Recommendation. The Working Group does not expect to make substantial changes to this document as the result of this review; the document has already received substantial technical review. The UAWG does expect to make clarifications and to record issues to be addressed after UAAG 1.0. The latest information regarding patent disclosures related to this document is available on the Web. As of this publication, there are no disclosures. Publication as a Working Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than "work in progress." =================================== Abstract of Techniques for UAAG 1.0 =================================== This document provides techniques for satisfying the checkpoints defined in "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" [UAAG10]. These techniques address key aspects of the accessibility of user interfaces, content rendering, application programming interfaces (APIs), and languages such as the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL). The techniques listed in this document are not required for conformance to the Guidelines. These techniques are not necessarily the only way of satisfying the checkpoint, nor are they a definitive set of requirements for satisfying a checkpoint. ========================================= Status section of Techniques for UAAG 1.0 [Minus some boilerplate] ========================================= This is the 21 August 2002 Working Draft of "Techniques for User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0". It is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material or to cite them as other than "work in progress". This is work in progress and does not imply endorsement by, or the consensus of, either W3C or participants in the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG). While User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 strives to be a stable document (as a W3C Recommendation), the current document is expected to evolve as technologies change and content developers discover more effective techniques for designing accessible Web sites and pages. -- Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org) http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs Tel: +1 718 260-9447
Received on Wednesday, 21 August 2002 14:19:05 UTC