Web Content Accessibility Guideines WG Meeting

September 24, 1999
4:00 - 5:00 PM EDT
Longfellow Bridge: (617-252-1038)

Attendees

Jason White
Ian Jacobs
William Loughborough
Gregory Rosmaita
Wendy Chisholm
Gregg Vanderheiden
Dean Denmon

Regrets

Jonathan Chetwynd
Chuck Letourneau

Summary of action items and consensus

WC ask list again to review the checkpoint 11.1 proposal. Consensus on call to go ahead and add. Make sure get all comments from list.
WC will check out UA page for Netscape info. Follow-up with Netscape folk.
GR has some statistics on usage of Lynx, will dig up.
GR and JW will work with WC to complete reviews of Lynx and Emacs as they have time.
WC include the arguments about why or why not the "skip nav bar" link is hidden or not in the techniques doc.
WC will discuss a face to face mtg with Judy and the chairs.
WC will create a list of perceived problems and propose categories for the type of problems (typos, errata, etc.) and send it to the list.

Agenda

Reports on action items from 16 September meeting.
1. IJ will call Steven Pemberton and sort out how to proceed with MAP element in HTML 4.01. - done. adopted.
2. WC and JW need to finish work on checkpoint 3.3 and 11.1 clarifications.
3. WC needs to follow-up on lead with Netscape re: browser support page.
4. CL to ask EO to highlight the errata and Techniques documents when discussing WCAG.
5. GR and JW agreed to help populate the browser support document with info re: lynx and emacsspeak/w3 (respectively). Editors need to work with them to get this
6. WC will discuss a face to face mtg with Judy and the chairs.
7. WC will create a list of perceived problems and propose categories for the type of problems (typos, errata, etc.) and send it to the list.
8. WC will try to get other folks involved in the group - developers primarily
9. WC will check with Judy to find out if it is appropriate to send a note to IG to get people involved in GL.
Discuss Proposed text for clarification of checkpoint 11.1, plus 3 related issues.
Discuss Proposal for marking up groups of links using a small icon as method to make the "skip link" more visually "acceptable" without making it invisible/unusable to people with physical disabilities who are likely to be loading graphics and thus would miss the single pixel gif (as previously suggested).
Content negotiation example thread.
Reminder to review the AU guidelines.
Unresolved Issues thread.

Reports on action items from 16 September meeting.

MAP in HTML 4.01

IJ will call Steven Pemberton and sort out how to proceed with MAP element in HTML 4.01. Done. adopted by HTML 4.01 group. Open question: can you mix A and AREA elements? To be answered by HTML group.

11.1 clarification

WC and JW need to finish work on checkpoint 3.3 and 11.1 clarifications. open issues: isue #4 (dating conformance claims)

GR sounds like "enhanced for x or y" need a template why they did specific things? don't see many people filling it out.

JW concerned about claiming conformance based on software versions rather than what standards conforms to. don't want to encourage that.

/* WC reads proposal */

WC part of transforming gracefully is to be backwards compatible.

GR people should be encouraged to date conformance claim.

JW by the time it becomes an issue, will be new version of guidelines that should deal with it with UUA clauses removed.

IJ dangerous to expect another version - not that won't be one, but can't predict future.

WL if you do it right, it won't become inaccessible.

/* consensus to add to Errata */

WC what about the list of checkpoints?

JW instead of referring to the list, explain rationale for choosing compatiblity issues discussed on browser support page. then give presentation of which browsers support which features.

@@ WC ask list again to ensure consensus to add to errata page.

Browser support page

WC needs to follow-up on lead with Netscape re: browser support page .

IJ There is some info linked from UA page.

WC waiting to hear back from Netscape - has had a response from Vidur, we are trying to figure out who I will work with.

@@WC will check out UA page.

GR and JW agreed to help populate the browser support document with info re: lynx and emacsspeak/w3 (respectively). Editors need to work with them to get this

JW timeline - after PF and other spare time available.

GR busy next 11 days w/AU, CMN may help out.

GR take 2.5 to 2.8.2? or just the latest? was thinking latest win32 and unix. some people still using 2.3 in shell account.

@@GR has some statistics on usage, will dig up.

WC let's try to educate people so that they know there are other versions out there. people out to be contacting their sysadmins to update to latest version (when possible).

CL to ask EO to highlight the errata and Techniques documents when discussing WCAG.

brought up with CG last week.

WC will discuss a face to face mtg with Judy and the chairs.

in process

WC will create a list of perceived problems and propose categories for the type of problems (typos, errata, etc.) and send it to the list.

in process

WC will try to get other folks involved in the group - developers primarily

WC has invited some people, waiting to hear back.

WC will check with Judy to find out if it is appropriate to send a note to IG to get people involved in GL.

WC it is appropriate, discussed this week. will send note next week.

Discuss Proposal for marking up groups of links using a small icon

as method to make the "skip link" more visually "acceptable" without making it invisible/unusable to people with physical disabilities who are likely to be loading graphics and thus would miss the single pixel gif (as previously suggested).

/* discussion as to why an issue */

GR using methods to do this on forms.

JW is a UA issue. therefore, need an interim solution.

IJ problem to use style sheets? i.e., media="text" display the special link.

WC no, because will most likely not be a text browser.

JW what is the priority?

WC 3

JW they are less likely to be concerned about the visibility, since doing so for accessibility. thus text link or icon would be reasonable.

IJ for UA pg, there is a link to jump other links at the top. hidden by display-none.

JW are there objections to the default being visible?

GV this in techniques, right? suggest it be visible by default. "skip navbar" might be good text for the link. It's short. in techniques, we can discuss that if it is not acceptable to have it be visible by default, here are some ways to hide it. Some developers may not be able to get the visible link past creative arts dept of their company. if its hidden it means that people with physical disabilities will miss the benefit, but people who are using speech will not have to listen to the group of links over and over again.

WC so, in techniques let's say, "make it visible be default, if you need to hide here are some ways to do it.

GR if you can't see whole screen at once you may also need to have the link be visible.

@@WC let's include these arguments in discussion in techniques doc.

Content negotiation example thread.

Closed until Chuck raises more questions.

Reminder to review the AU guidelines.

Unresolved Issues thread.

WC read issue #9 from Eric's e-mail.

JW one way to solve is with different versions and content negotiation.

IJ why is this an access issue?

WC he primarily discusses equivalents and internationalization.

IJ what can we take to I18N group? do they consider signed languages?

JW really an I18N issue.

WC Don't need to open up anything at this time.