Re: Proposal for definition of levels

Eric,
my understanding is that the normative conformance information is in the
Conformance section that we have been working on the last several/many
meetings.
the levels are informative only. I will leave your rewrites to the editors.

Jim



On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 10:37 AM, Hansen, Eric G <ehansen@ets.org> wrote:

> This revision is an attempt simplify it. In doing so, it separates the
> normative part (what claimants must do) from the informative part (the
> rationale for the levels approach that UAWG has taken).
>
> The Three Levels of Conformance (Normative)
>
> A user agent may conform at any of three levels - A (single A), level AA
> (double A), and level AAA (triple A) - with the more A's being indicative
> of a higher degree of accessibility. The requirements for these levels are
> cumulative, in the sense of requirements for one level building on upon
> requirements for lower levels. Specifically, in order to achieve one of
> these three levels of UAAG conformance, the user agent must satisfy success
> criteria (i.e., specific technical requirements) as follows:
>
> 1.      Level A conformance level: All applicable level A success criteria.
> 2.      Level AA conformance level: All applicable level A and AA success
> criteria
> 3.      Level AAA conformance level: All applicable level A, AA, and AAA
> success criteria.
>
> A later section explains how to determine which of the success criteria
> may be declared by the claimant as "not applicable."
>
> Rationale for the Conformance Levels (Informative)
>
> UAAG2 conformance is based on the "level" (A, AA, or AAA) designations of
> the more than 100 success criteria (i.e., specific requirements) as found
> this document. In making these designations, the UAWG considered both the
> impact of the success criterion of individuals with disabilities as well as
> the likely degree of technical challenge in satisfying the success criteria.
>
> The level A designation was given to success criteria for which both to
> satisfy would block access for one or more groups of individuals with
> disabilities. [Eric comment: I am wondering if this is more accurate that
> saying that they would both block access and "are relatively minor for
> developers to solve." In a sense, if it would block access we do we really
> care if it is hard or easy to solve?]
>
> The level AA designation was given to success criteria where failure to
> satisfy would make access difficult for one or more disability groups and
> where the technical challenge in satisfying would small to medium.
>
> The level AAA designation was given to success criteria where failure to
> satisfy would reduce access for one or more disability groups and where the
> technical challenge in satisfying may be large.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeanne Spellman [mailto:jeanne@w3.org]
> Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2013 12:03 PM
> To: UAWG
> Subject: Fwd: Proposal for definition of levels
>
> Some additional explanatory material:
>
> For comparison, the earlier draft of level definitions was from 6
> December. If I remember correctly, that was drafted by a sub-group after an
> impromptu or post teleconference call.
>
> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ua/2012OctDec/0045.html
>
> The major audience for this new proposal for Definition of Levels section
> will be both developers and policy makers. It is valuable to have a clear
> explanation of how the levels were developed when persuading policy makers
> to adopt the guidelines or to set a recommended adoption level as part of
> their policy.
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Proposal for definition of levels
> Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:54:35 -0400
> From: Jeanne Spellman <jeanne@w3.org>
> To: User Agent Working Group <w3c-wai-ua@w3.org>
>
> Here is my first pass at writing a definition of levels proposal.  This
> material would go in the introduction. It would not be normative material,
> and should be easy to read.
>
> Proposed:
>
> UAAG conformance levels (A, AA, AAA) provide a path for user agent
> developers to improve their product over time and to prioritize new
> features to develop.  UAAG conformance levels attempt to balance the needs
> of people with disabilities with the difficulty the user agent developer
> could experience in meeting that need. There are many different types of
> disabilities and different types of user agents, so the UAAG level assigned
> to a success criterion may not precisely match the definition of the level
> in all circumstances.
>
> Level A success criteria represent needs where different groups of people
> with disabilities are blocked from receiving information or accomplishing a
> task AND that the solutions to those needs are relatively minor for
> developers to solve or the solutions are common in the marketplace.  In
> some cases, extensions or addons to popular browsers provide solutions.
>
> Level AA represents needs where people with disabilities have difficulty
> accessing information or accomplishing a task (including tasks causing
> excessive fatigue), and where the solutions may be more difficult to
> implement or requires developing a new subsystem for the product.
>
> Level AAA represents needs where the solution improves accessibility for
> some information or task, but the solution is challenging to solve,
> requiring a major effort or development of intelligent algorithms.
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator & Webmaster
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9264  http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964