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WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

[DRAFT - very rough concepts only] Introduction to W3C Process

Note: This document is a very rough initial concept draft only and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.
$Date: 2006/08/01 20:45:11 $ [changelog]

Introduction

... this is just a simplified version, for the definitive info, see the W3C Process Document, Section 7: W3C Technical Report Development Process.

NOTE: draft image borrowed from elsewhere, needs clean up
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W3C Recommendation Track Steps (playing with table format)

Stage To Get Here During this Stage Notes
Working Draft (WD)   Published specifically for review by the community, including W3C Members, the public, and other technical organizations. Note, for WAI, previous drafts and gropus working are all publicly visible, and available for public comment.
Last Call Working Draft (LCWD)      
Candidate Recommendation (CR) W3C believes has been widely reviewed and satisfies the Working Group's technical requirements. Purpose: gather implementation experience.  
Proposed Recommendation (PR) mature technical report that, after wide review for technical soundness and implementability, Sent to the W3C Advisory Committee for final endorsement.  
Recommendation (Standard) has received the endorsement of W3C Members and the Director. W3C recommends the wide deployment of its Recommendations. W3C Recommendations are similar to the standards published by other organizations.  

W3C Recommendation Track Steps (playing with lists)

Working Draft

Basic requirements:

Next Steps:

Last Call Working Draft

Basic requirements:

Next Steps:

Candidate Recommendation

Basic requirements:

Next Steps:

Proposed Recommendation

Basic requirements:

Next Steps:

Recommendation

Basic requirements:

Next Steps:

WAI W3C Recommendations/Standards

Essential Components of Web Accessibility shows how Web accessibility depends on several components working together and introduces the 3 WAI guidelines:

Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)

ATAG 1.0 was approved as a W3C Recommendation in February 2000. The last ATAG 2.0 Working Draft was November 2005. Currently addressing comments.

Something about relationship and doesn't have to be in synch with WCAG 2.0 exactly.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

WCAG 1.0 was approved as a W3C Recommendation in May 1999. WCAG 2.0 has had nine public Working Draft announcement. WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft was announced in April 2006. Currently addressing comments.

User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)

UAAG 1.0 was approved as a W3C Recommendation in December 2002. There aren't any plans for another version at this time.