LCWD comment: XHTML Access Module

Dear WG,

The current approach in this document (and it seems that WAI thinks in a similar manner) is limited to keyboard entry of the character for access key. While there are physical keys on keyboards, the term key is often used in a more abstract manner. Application of this generalisation would contribute to the tenet of device independence. Let me provide a use case for allowing triggering the access key with a unit of text input in any modality. The user is presented with a list of possible choices. The input modality is voice. He's got a disability (such as throat injury or muscle paralysis) making it difficult for him to pronounce whole words. Without access keys assigned to the choices he can make his choice with generic navigation mechanism (by pronouncing commands such as "last", "previous", "activate") or reading out the value. XHTML Access Module could help him by alleviating the need to use words - pronouncing single characters would be sufficient. Another possibility is a normal user who doesn't speak the language of the content. He can guess meanings of the choices when the words are similar to ones in a language he does speak but still be unable to pronounce them. Or a user with speech to text software which doesn't support the language (but it can process single spoken characters, provided that the content uses the same script).

I also find the abstract too vague.

Received on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 22:16:21 UTC