W3C Exec Summary

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an International Consortium where Member and External organizations, a full-time technical staff, and the public work together to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing Web standards such as protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.

• Goals: Interoperability, Universality, Functionalities
• Neutral/nonforprofit, consensus based, open participation, open results
• ~450 members, ~70 staff,
• ~50 Working Groups ~20 Coordination Groups and Interest Groups
• Hosting: MIT (America), ERCIM (Europe) and Keio University (Japan) + 16 Offices
• Advisory Board, Technical Architecture Group
• Liaisons with 40+ other standards bodies, Accountable to the global Public

What Open Standards means ?

A lot of debates nowadays for a common definition of Open Standards(IGF, EC, etc)

• Transparent process
• Open participation
• Technical Consensus
• Running code
• Free and Persistent Specification
• W3C Patent Policy for Web Technologies

W3C Standards Track

W3C Results

Web Accessibility Initiative - WAI

• Started in 1997
• Address all disabilities, but only for the Web platform
• 3 Guidelines WG: WCAG, ATAG, UUAG
• Education & Outreach, Evaluation & Repair, Protocols & Formats, Research & Dev
• How the components relate:

  

WAI participation

Working actively on WCAG2.0, Tools, Technologies (e.g. WAI-ARIA), etc.

welcomes:

• participation from around the world, at all levels of commitment and expertise
• volunteers to review, implement, and promote guidelines
• dedicated participants in Working Groups

Also active in tracking implementation of Public Policies related to Web Accessibility.

• Lots of resources to read and improve, translate. See WAI resources page.
• See the Thai translations available and what's badly missing (e.g. Quicktips)