- From: 'Janina Sajka' <janina@rednote.net>
- Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 13:14:16 -0500
- To: "'WAI XTech'" <wai-xtech@w3.org>
- Cc: Richard Schwerdtfeger <schwer@us.ibm.com>, Dominic Mazzoni <dmazzoni@google.com>, James Craig <jcraig@apple.com>
There's an important question that's being lost when discussed in the context of ARIA-DescribedAt (or the context of HTML Longdesc). We need a clear consensus statement somewhere in our ARIA docs about whether, or not ARIA is restricted for use by AT user agents via Accessibility APIs. In other words, do we insist the curb cut is for wheel chairs only? All skate boards and baby strollers must stay away. It's probably the case that DescribedAt is the wrong context for this larger policy question because it's so freighted with deeply entrenched viewpoints and a long, contentious history in the form of HTML Longdesc. However, other ARIA applications are shortly to emerge from our joint efforts with the Digital Publishing Interest Group in the W3C which will also raise the question of who can benefit from ARIA. This is why we need a more widely applicable, and clearly articulated group consensus on the question. We have heard recently, and in years past the browser developers among us say that keeping ARIA restricted to AAPIs explains much of their success. Because there are not requirements on mainstream browsers, it's been relatively easy to add ARIA support. Here's David Bolter on this very question in 2012, though it, too, is hidden in discussion of Longdesc and DescribedAt: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-a11y/2012Mar/0405.html My personal view is that we should probably clarify our ARIA spec language on this point. Where we currently have language such as "user agents should" should be broken out into something along the lines of "mainstream user agents may implement" with respect to their own UI, and "should provide interfaces for AT applications via AAPIs." Can we perhaps separate the DescribedAt conversation along these lines? The feature itself, vs who's expected to do what with it as a separate conversation about who's allowed to benefit from ARIA in general? Janina -- Janina Sajka, Phone: +1.443.300.2200 sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net Email: janina@rednote.net Linux Foundation Fellow Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup: http://a11y.org The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Chair, Protocols & Formats http://www.w3.org/wai/pf Indie UI http://www.w3.org/WAI/IndieUI/
Received on Monday, 8 December 2014 18:14:42 UTC