summary - introduction - context - technical activity - international program office activity
This document proposes renewals of the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity for the three-year period through 30 June 2013. Since the two WAI Activities are closely linked, they are presented together. WAI's work is conducted through the following two W3C Activities:
Publications from previous WAI work are available from the W3C Technical Reports page and the annotated list on the WAI Resources page. This proposal is consistent with Section 5: Activities of the 5 February 2004 W3C Process Document.
Accessibility of the web is of critical importance to millions of web users with disabilities around the world, including people with auditory, cognitive, physical, neurological, and visual disabilities, and those with accessibility needs due to aging. When the web is inaccessible, people with disabilities and older users have difficulty accessing and interacting with information essential to education, employment, health, civic participation, government services, social networking, entertainment, and more. An accessible web also benefits people who do not have disabilities but who are experiencing situational barriers, for instance when accessing the web from mobile devices, in low bandwidth situations, or due to barriers or language or literacy.
Interest in web accessibility and the demand for resources to support implementation of accessibility have expanded as requirements for accessibility have increased in different countries. The recent passage of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which includes access to information as a human right, is further driving the demand for web accessibility implementation guidance and educational resources.
Since 1997 W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has provided an international forum where industry, the disability community, accessibility researchers, government representatives, and other stakeholders collaborate to develop consensus-based solutions to improve accessibility of the web. WAI helps ensure accessibility of web technologies; develops guidelines, resources for evaluation of accessible web content, educational and outreach resources; and promotes harmonization of accessibility standards.
General information on WAI is available from the WAI home page; information from recent months is available from the Activity Statements for the WAI Technical Activity and WAI International Program Office Activity. WAI's accomplishments since 1997 include development of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, and User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0; completion of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and development of drafts of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0; development of associated Implementation Techniques documents for each of these guidelines; development of drafts of the WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) and EARL 1.0 Schema (Evaluation and Report Language); and scores of educational resources. WAI has contributed to accessibility support in many W3C specifications through the work of the Protocols and Formats Working Group. An extensive annotated listing of WAI resources is available.
WAI Activities receive support from WAI funders and sponsors in addition to W3C Membership funds. WAI sponsors include the US Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; the European Commission's Information Society Technology Programme; HP; IBM; and Microsoft Corporation. Past sponsors and contributors include the US National Science Foundation, the EC Telematics Programme for Disabled and Elderly, Eliza Communications, Fundacion ONCE, Lotus Development Corporation, the Massachusetts Association for the Blind, NCR, SAP, Verizon Foundation, Wells Fargo, WinWriters, and the Austrian Computer Society. Information on how to become a WAI sponsor is available.
WAI's initial phase started with a briefing package in February 1997. W3C announced its commitment to host the Web Accessibility Initiative in April 1997, and launched the WAI International Program Office in October 1997. A second briefing package proposed a renewal of WAI Activities for three years and was approved in June 2001. A proposal for renewal of WAI activities was approved in December 2004. Extensions have allowed for continuation of WAI work since 2007.
This section answers the following questions from section 5.6 of the W3C Process document:
It is essential that the web be accessible to people with disabilities and older users so that they may participate on an equal basis with others in the information society. Accessibility for people with disabilities and older users has relevance to the entire spectrum of W3C's work, from the design and development of technical standards to education and outreach on best practices for the web.
WAI serves as the leading international authority on web accessibility; as a forum bringing together organizations from around the world to collaborate on accessibility solutions; and as an internal partner working with W3C groups to ensure consideration of accessibility of technologies from the design stage onwards. Governments, businesses and non-governmental organizations around the world use W3C/WAI guidelines and resources, and rely on these resources to be updated as web technologies evolve. There is a continued need for a central forum in which to develop consensus-based solutions for web accessibility, and a corresponding need to promote harmonization of web accessibility standards.
Extensive work remains to be done to expand WCAG 2 techniques and testing resources, and to develop an evaluation methodology for WCAG 2.0. ATAG 2.0, UAAG 2.0, WAI-ARIA, and EARL 1.0 Schema need to be completed, and likewise supporting techniques, testing resources and evaluation methodologies for these guidelines. Expanded educational and outreach resources are needed to reach the broader range of audiences that are now using W3C/WAI guidelines.
The market for Web accessibility solutions includes designers and developers of web content and applications and websites who want to ensure that their sites can be accessed and used effectively by people with disabilities and older users. The market includes policy-makers wanting to ensure that government information and services are accessible by all; educators with online instructional programs; and businesses who are interested in the purchasing power of this market demographic. There is a demand for accessible mainstream user agents, authoring tools that support production of accessible content, assistive technologies that interoperate better with Web software, tools for evaluating conformance to accessibility standards, and educational materials to provide implementation support.
With growth in awareness of the need for web accessibility, many national
and local efforts have arisen to address related needs. These efforts often
used to include development of parallel web accessibility guidelines and
standards, leading to fragmentation of a unified market for web accessibility
authoring and evaluation tools, and difficulty for web developers needing to
follow multiple accessibility standards. A growing appreciation for the
benefits of standards harmonization has meant that related web accessibility
efforts are now more likely to focus on complementary aspects of web
accessibility. These complementary efforts include public awareness initiatives
and development of training and evaluation resources. Many of these
organizations also contribute to development of guidelines, techniques and
educational resources at W3C/WAI.
The scope of the proposed WAI Technical Activity renewal includes work on:
The WAI Technical Activity includes the five Working Groups described below. The following information includes excerpts from the missions, resource statements and timelines available in the proposed charters. Timelines are identified below for each proposed charter. The activity as a whole is proposed for a three-year period.
The mission of the Protocols and Formats Working Group is to ensure W3C specifications provide support for accessibility for people with disabilities. The group advances this mission through review of W3C specifications, technical support materials, and specifications that bridge known gaps.
This charters continues the previous mission of the PFWG. Substantive changes from the previous charter include:
The initial Chair of PFWG is Janina Sajka (Invited Expert). W3C resources for this group include Michael Cooper at 50%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is to support the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 W3C Recommendation, which aims to make Web content accessible for people with disabilities.
This charter continues the previous mission of the WCAG WG. Substantive changes from the previous charter include:
The initial Co-Chairs of WCAG WG are Gregg Vanderheiden (Invited Expert) and Loretta Guarino Reid (Google). W3C resources for this group include Michael Cooper at 50%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG) is to produce guidelines for the development of authoring tools that are both accessible to authors and also enable all authors to create content that is accessible to end users. In particular, the AUWG will publish the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (ATAG 2.0) as a W3C Recommendation.
This charter continues the previous mission of the AUWG. Substantive changes from the previous charter include:
The initial Chair of this Working Group is Jutta Treviranus (Invited Expert). W3C resources for this group include Jeanne Spellman at 50%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG) is to produce guidelines for the development of accessible user agents (e.g., browsers, media players, etc.) and their interoperability with assistive technology. A user agent is software that retrieves and renders Web content, including text, graphics, sounds, video, images, etc. In particular, the UAWG will publish the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (UAAG 2.0) as a W3C Recommendation.
This charter continues the previous mission of the UAWG. Substantive differences from the previous UAWG charter include:
The initial Co-Chairs of this Working Group are Jim Allan (Invited Expert) and Kelly Ford (Microsoft). W3C resources for this group include Jeanne Spellman at 50%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG) is to develop techniques and resources to facilitate the evaluation and repair of websites with regard to their conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and to facilitate testing across all WAI guidelines and standards also including the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG), User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG), and Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA).
This charter continues the previous mission of the ERT WG. Substantive differences from the previous ERT WG charter include:
The intial Chair of this Working Group is Shadi Abou-Zahra (W3C). W3C resources for this group include Shadi Abou-Zahra at 20%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The WAI International Program Office includes work on:
The WAI International Program Office includes the four Groups described below. The following information includes excerpts from the missions, resource statements and timelines available in the proposed charters. Timelines are identified below for each proposed charter. The activity as a whole is proposed for a three-year period.
The mission of the Education and Outreach Working Group is to develop strategies and resources to increase awareness of the need for web accessibility and to educate the web community on accessibility solutions, in order to make the web accessible to people with disabilities including older people with accessibility needs. EOWG's mission supports the work of other Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups within the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity.
The proposed charter will continue the previous mission of EOWG; work on the WAI-AGE project will conclude in October 2010, but EOWG will continue development of educational resources as listed in the charter and on the EOWG home page.
The initial Chair of this Working Group is Shawn Henry. Initial W3C resources for this group include Shawn Henry at 80%, Shadi Abou-Zahra at 20%, and Andrew Arch at 50%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the Research and Development Working Group (RDWG) is to increase the incorporation of accessibility considerations into research on Web technologies, to identify projects researching Web accessibility, and suggest research questions that may contribute to new projects. The desired outcome of more research in Web accessibility and awareness of accessibility in mainstream Web-related research should decrease the number of potential barriers in future Web-related technologies. This mission is complementary to the work of other Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups within the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity.
This proposed charter would resume the mission of the previous Research and Development Interest Group (RDIG), but with a different format. Substantial changes include changing this group from an Interest Group to a Working Group in order to reflect the need for a committed core of participants who take primary responsibility for an ongoing series of web seminars rather than relying primarily on staff support.
At the time of writing of this Activity Proposal, the chair and team contact positions for the RDWG are vacant and the previous RDIG is inactive. However, RDWG is critical to the mission of WAI. We have multiple new candidates for Chair, a number of interested participants, and availability of a Team Contact as of 1 October 2010. Therefore, this charter is included as part of the Activity Proposal. The duration of the renewed charter would be from 1 October 2010 through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the WAI Interest Group (IG) is to provide a forum for review of deliverables under development by other WAI groups; for exploration of barriers to accessibility of the Web and potential solutions for accessibility of the Web; and for exchanging information about activities related to Web accessibility around the world. The WAI Interest Group's mission supports the work of other Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups within the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity.
The proposed charter will continue the previous mission of the WCAG WG. There are no significant changes.
The initial Chair of this Interest Group is Shawn Henry. W3C resources for this group include Shawn Lawton Henry at 10%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
The mission of the WAI Coordination Group is to coordinate among all WAI groups, and between WAI groups and other W3C groups as needed. This mission facilitates the work of all Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups within the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity.
The proposed charter will continue the previous mission of the WAI CG. There are no significant changes.
The initial Chair of this Coordination Group is Judy Brewer. W3C resources for this group include Judy Brewer at 10% and Shadi Abou-Zahra at 5%. The duration of the renewed charter is through 30 June 2013.
Last updated $Date: 2010/06/10 20:01:21 $, by Judy Brewer (jbrewer @ w3.org).