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Highlights Drafts through 2008

See the main planning page for current planning, original parameters, and such.

Note: This Web page is an internal working draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.

Archive Draft Blurbs through April 2008

Ordered with most recent at the top, oldest at the bottom:

WCAG 2.0 CR

[drafts of the WCAG 2.0 Last Call announcements]

last updated $Date: 2009/06/26 00:29:54 $

NOTE: This information is an unapproved draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances. Thank you.

W3C Home Page (and NewsWire and Member Newsletter):

W3C Invites Implementations of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (Candidate Recommendation)

2008-0@-@@: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group has released Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 as a Candidate Recommendation, and published updated Working Drafts of Understanding WCAG 2.0 and Techniques for WCAG 2.0, along with How to Meet WCAG 2.0 and Comparison of WCAG 1.0 Checkpoints to WCAG 2.0. WCAG defines how to make Web sites, Web applications, and other Web content accessible to people with disabilities. Read the press release, invitation to implement, Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents, and about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

notes:



WAI Highlight for home page & RSS feed:

WCAG 2.0 On the Move: Ready to Test-Drive

We are excited to announce that Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) was published as a W3C Candidate Recommendation on 30 April 2008. The Candidate Recommendation stage means that there is broad consensus on the technical content, and W3C invites you to implement WCAG 2.0. Please see additional information in:

If you are interested in sharing implementation experience, please let us know by 23 May 2008. (2008-04-30)

notes:


WAI IG email:

WCAG 2.0 Candidate Recommendation Ready to Test Drive

Dear WAI Interest Group Participants,

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group is excited to announce the publication of WCAG 2.0 as a W3C Candidate Recommendation on @@ Month. WCAG 2.0 explains how to make Web sites, applications, and other content accessible to people with disabilities, and many elderly users.
http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/CR-WCAG20-20080430/

Candidate Recommendation (CR) is a major step in the W3C standards development process; it signals that there is broad consensus in the Working Group and among public reviewers on the technical content of WCAG 2.0. The W3C Process stages are described in:
How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process

The primary purpose of this CR stage is for developers and designers to "test drive" WCAG 2.0 to demonstrate that WCAG 2.0 can be implemented in Web sites. WAI encourages a broad range of Web sites and Web applications to use WCAG 2.0 at this stage, and share implementation experience. For information on submitting your implementations, see:
WCAG 2.0 Candidate Recommendation Implementation Information
http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/CR/
If you plan to provide implementations, please let us know your intentions by *23 May 2008*.
Actual implementations are due by *30 June 2008*.

From an accessibility prespective, it it important to note that some WCAG 2.0 requirements are at risk; that is, they may not be included if there are not sufficient implementations. Items at risk are listed at:
     http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/CR-WCAG20-20080430/#status_risk

While the focus of this stage is to collect implementations, you can also submit comments using the form or email address provided in:
     Instructions for Commenting on WCAG 2.0 Documents
     http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/comments/

The different WCAG 2.0 documents that the WCAG Working Group updated with this publication are introduced in:
Overview of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Documents
     http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag20.php

A key tool for using WCAG 2.0 documents, which was previously called the "Quick Reference", is:
How to Meet WCAG 2.0: A customizable quick reference to WCAG 2.0 requirements...
http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

For more information about the Candidate Recommendation status of WCAG 2.0 and the changes since the last publication, see:
"Status of this Document" section of WCAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/CR-WCAG20-20080430/#status

WCAG 2.0 is part of a series of accessibility guidelines/standards developed by WAI, which are listed in:
WAI Guidelines and Techniques
http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html

Feel free to circulate this message to other lists; please avoid cross-postings where possible.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your help implementing WCAG 2.0.

Regards,
~Shawn Lawton Henry and Judy Brewer
On behalf of:
Loretta Guarino Reid, Co-chair of WCAG WG, and Computer Scientist, Google Inc.
Gregg Vanderheiden, Co-chair of WCAG WG, and Director of Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michael Cooper, W3C Team Contact for WCAG WG

notes:

W3C Q&A blog post:

material from the top of the page http://www.w3.org/QA/

WCAG 2.0 takes a giant leap forward — Now it's your turn

WCAG 2.0 is going, boldly, where it's never gone before: Today WCAG 2.0 is at "W3C Candidate Recommendation"! Can you feel the Web accessibility world shake? Candidate Recommendation means that we think the technical content is stable and we want developers and designers to start using WCAG 2.0, to test it out in every-day situations. For more about Candidate Recommendation, see How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process.

I hear you asking, "When will it be completed?" We're optimistic that it will indeed be completed in 2008. If implementation goes well and there are no significant new issues, the "Proposed Recommendation" of WCAG 2.0 should be published in the third quarter of 2008, with the final Web standard W3C Recommendation published about two months after that.

What's important now is that we need your help moving WCAG 2.0 to the next stage. In order to advance WCAG 2.0, we need to demonstrate that it can be implemented in different types of Web content, in a variety of human languages, and using a variety of technologies. We're looking for at least two independent implementations of every success criterion, as well as several websites that conform at each level (A, AA, AAA). (Success criteria and levels are introduced in Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents.) We welcome WCAG 2.0 implementation experience from a wide range of environments, including e-commerce, government, education, blogs, etc.

Note that there are a few success criteria that are at risk of becoming advisory if we don't get at least two implementations of them. Here is a special appeal for implementations of those at risk success criteria.

To be a part of this stage of WCAG 2.0 implementation experience, check out WCAG 2.0 Candidate Recommendation Implementation Information.

There are a lot of reasons to start implementing WCAG 2.0 now, in addition to the possibility of your website being publicly listed as an implementation; see "What are the benefits of using WCAG 2.0?" in the WCAG 2 FAQ.

Thanks for all the support moving WCAG 2.0 towards completion!

notes:

NOTE: This information is an unapproved draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.

John Slatin

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

John Slatin: Honored Accessibility Colleague and Friend

WAI mourns the passing of John Slatin, who was Co-Chair of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group in 2005 and 2006. Through his persistence, patience, and keen insight, John contributed greatly to the field of accessibility, especially to the development of WCAG 2.0. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his colleagues at W3C/WAI and in the broader accessibility community. For more information, see the e-mail thread: Sad news regarding John Slatin, highly-regarded Web accessibility expert and advocate. (2008-03-25)

notes:

WAI IG e-mail:

Sad news regarding John Slatin, highly-regarded Web accessibility expert and advocate

Dear WAI Interest Group Participants,

WAI mourns the passing of John Slatin, who was Co-Chair of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group in 2005 and 2006. Through his persistence, patience, and keen insight, John contributed greatly to the field of accessibility, especially to the development of WCAG 2.0. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his colleagues at W3C/WAI and in the broader accessibility community.

For those who want more information, John and his wife Anna have chronicled his experiences on his blog "Leukemia Letters" at http://leukemialetters.blogspot.com/ and information about services will be posted there.

Sadly,
Judy Brewer...
Shawn Henry...
...

notes

UAAG March 2008

W3C News Blurb:

User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0: First Public Working Draft

2008-03-13: The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group has published a first public Working Draft of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. UAAG addresses accessibility of browsers and media players, and their interoperability with assistive technologies. It will cover more advanced Web technologies than UAAG 1.0. Read the invitation to review the UAAG 2.0 Working Draft and about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

notes:

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

For Review: UAAG 2.0 First Public Working Draft

The First Public Working Draft of User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0 was published 12 March 2008. UAAG explains how to make browsers and media players accessible to people with disabilities, and how to make them work better with assistive technologies. UAAG 2.0 will address more advanced Web technologies than UAAG 1.0. WAI encourages you to review UAAG 2.0 and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 14 April 2008. (2008-03-13)

question:

WAI IG e-mail:

Call for Review: UAAG 2.0 First Public Working Draft

Dear WAI Interest Group participants,

The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group invites you to comment on the First Public Working Draft of UAAG 2.0, published 12 March 2008:
User Agent Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG20/

UAAG provides guidance on designing Web browsers, media players, and other user agents to be accessible to people with disabilities, and to work better with assistive technologies. UAAG is introduced in the UAAG Overview at:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/uaag.php
UAAG is part of a series of accessibility guidelines/standards developed by WAI, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG). These are listed in WAI Guidelines and Techniques at:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html

Substantial changes in UAAG 2.0 since UAAG 1.0 include:
- clarifications and additions to the guidelines and success criteria, per the UAAG 2.0 Requirements document <http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG20-requirements/>
- restructuring the document into five principles, similar to WCAG 2.0 and ATAG 2.0
- providing success criteria at three levels, similar to WCAG 2.0 and ATAG 2.0.

The UAAG Working Group would like feedback on the following points:
- Is the new organization of this document clear and understandable?
- Do these success criteria cover the @@greatest needs for browser and media player accessibility?
- Based on these preliminary success criteria, are there any concerns about implementation feasibility?
- Are there areas in which the new draft is lacking?

WAI encourages developers of browsers, assistive technologies, plug-ins, extensions, and accessibility APIs (application programming interfaces), and people with disabilities, to provide feedback on this first draft, and to consider more active participation in the development process. Please send comments by 14 April 2008 to the comment list, which is publicly archived:
public-uaag2-comments@w3.org

UAAG 2.0 is currently informative only. After the UAAG Working Group is rechartered to produce W3C Recommendations under the W3C Patent Policy, the group expects to advance UAAG 2.0 through the Recommendation track. For more information, see:
* How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process
* User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/

Note: Feel free to circulate this message to other lists; please avoid cross-postings where possible.

Thank you in advance for your comments,

Jan Richards - UAAG Interim W3C Staff Contact. Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto
Jim Allan - UAAG Working Group Chair. Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Judy Brewer - Director, Web Accessibility Initiative, W3C
Shawn Lawton Henry - W3C WAI EOWG Chair

notes:

Blog Post:

[not doing]

ATAG March 2008

W3C News Blurb:

Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0: Working Draft

2008-03-10: The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group published updated Working Drafts of Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0. ATAG helps developers design tools that are accessible so that people with disabilities can use the tools, and so that the tools help produce accessible Web content. Read the Call for Review: Updated ATAG Documents announcement and about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

notes:

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

For Review: Updated ATAG 2.0 Working Drafts

Updated Working Drafts of Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0 were published 10 March 2008. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 14 April 2008. (2008-03-10)

question:

WAI IG e-mail:

Call for Review: Updated ATAG 2.0 Working Drafts

The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group invites you to comment on the following documents published 10 March 2008:
1. Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG20/
2. Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG20-TECHS/

ATAG defines how authoring tools should help Web developers produce Web content that is accessible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; it also defines how to make authoring tools accessible so that people with disabilities can use the tools. ATAG is introduced in the ATAG Overview at:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/atag.php
ATAG is part of a series of accessibility guidelines/standards developed by WAI, which are listed in
WAI Guidelines and Techniques at:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html

WAI encourages you to review the update ATAG 2.0 documents and submit comments on any issues that you think could present a barrier to future adoption and implementation of ATAG 2.0. Please send comments by14 April 2008 to the comment list, which is publicly archived: public-atag2-comments@w3.org

For more information, see:
* How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process
* Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/

Note: Feel free to circulate this message to other lists; please avoid cross-postings where possible.

Thank you in advance for your comments,

Jan Richards - Interim W3C Staff Contact for AUWG
Jutta Treviranus - Chair of AUWG, and Director of Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto
Judy Brewer - Director, Web Accessibility Initiative, W3C
Shawn Lawton Henry - W3C WAI EOWG Chair

notes:

Blog Post:

[not doing]

Interviews Nov 2007 - Feb 2008

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

WAI Interviews: Shadi and Shawn Talk Web Accessibility

Recent interviews with Shadi Abou-Zahra and Shawn Lawton Henry are available online:

(2008-03-05)

WAI IG e-mail:

WAI Staff on Talk about Web Accessibility - Recent Interviews
[or: Interviews with WAI Staff on Web Accessibility or:...]

Dear WAI Interest Group Participants,

Two interviews with WAI staff were recently posted online that you might be interested in.

1. "Webtalk: Shadi Abou-Zahra über die Web Accessibility Initiative" (in German). Shadi talks about his work at WAI, benefits of WCAG 2.0, and the Web Accessibility Initiative: Ageing Education and Harmonisation (WAI-AGE) project.
http://www.mainweb.at/blog/2007/11/22/webtalk-shadi-abou-zahra-ueber-die-web-accessibility-initiative

2. "Radio New Zealand Interview, February 2008" (audio and text transcript). Shawn talks about the potential for the Web to enable people with disabilites to more actively participate in everyday life; the work of the W3C WAI; and including accessibility from the begining when developing technology.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/highlights/200802radioNZ

For more WAI Highlights, see the WAI home page:
* http://www.w3.org/WAI/
To subscribe to the WAI RSS feed, see:
* http://www.w3.org/WAI/highlights/about-rss.html

Please feel free to circulate this message, avoiding cross-postings where possible.

References and acronyms:
* W3C=World Wide Web Consortium <http://www.w3.org/>
* WAI=Web Accessibility Initiative <http://www.w3.org/WAI/>
* WCAG=Web Content Accessibility Guidelines <http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php>
* WAI-AGE Project <http://www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/
* Shadi About-Zahra <http://www.w3.org/People/shadi/>
* Shawn Lawton Henry <http://www.w3.org/People/Shawn/>

Regards,
Judy
...

notes

WCAG March 2008 Update

draft FAQ update

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

March 2008 Update on WCAG 2.0

The WCAG Working Group has addressed most of the comments received on the second Last Call Working Draft of WCAG 2.0, and is currently finalizing replies to commenters and preparing for the "Candidate Recommendation" stage in the W3C Process. See: "March 2008 Update: Moving WCAG 2.0 to the next stage" in the WCAG 2 FAQ. (2008-03-05)

notes:

WAI IG e-mail:

March 2008 Update: Moving WCAG 2.0 to the next stage

WAI Interest Group Participants,

Here is an update on WCAG 2.0 work to let you know how things are coming along since the December 2007 second Last Call Working Draft publication.

As of the beginning of March 2008, the Working Group has resolved most of the 200+ editorial and technical comments on the second Last Call Working Draft of WCAG 2.0. The Working Group is currently finalizing resolutions to comments and replies to commenters, and preparing for the next stage in the W3C Process, "Candidate Recommendation", which is introduced in How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process at:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process

The WCAG Working Group anticipates publishing WCAG 2.0 as a "Candidate Recommendation" in April or May 2008. The focus will then be on collecting "implementation experience" from Web designers and developers using WCAG 2.0 in their Web projects. WAI will be providing information on testing WCAG 2.0 implementation and contributing your feedback.

Depending on the duration of the Candidate Recommendation stage, the final draft of WCAG 2.0 (called "Proposed Recommendation") could be available the third quarter of 2008.

For information on WCAG 2.0, see:
* Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag20
* WCAG 2 FAQ
http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/wcag2faq

Regards,
~Shawn

notes:

W3C News Blurb:

[not doing]

Blog Post:

[not doing]

WAI ARIA 4 Feb 2008

W3C News Blurb:

WAI-ARIA for Accessible Rich Web Applications: First Public Working Drafts

2008-02-04: The Protocols and Formats Working Group published First Public Working Drafts of:

WAI-ARIA defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies. An updated WAI-ARIA Roadmap was also published.

Additionally, the Education and Outreach Working Group published a new WAI-ARIA FAQ and updated WAI-ARIA Overview. Read the Call for Review: New WAI-ARIA Documents announcement and about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

notes:

WAI Highlight (for home page & RSS feed):

For Review: New WAI-ARIA Resources

WAI-ARIA, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies.

New WAI-ARIA documents were published 4 February 2008. The WAI-ARIA Primer provides background on accessibility issues related to JavaScript, and introduces the technical approach used in WAI-ARIA. WAI-ARIA Best Practices describes how Web content developers can develop accessible rich Web applications using WAI-ARIA. See:

We welcome your comments, preferably by 20 February, otherwise by 3 March 2008. (2008-02-04)

heading brainstorms:

WAI IG e-mail:

W3C Q&A Blog Post:

New resources on making Ajax and related technologies accessible

Dateline Monday 4 February 2008: WAI publishes new WAI-ARIA documents for developers, and new overview material for everyone.

For the last two years or so, the W3C Web Accessibility (WAI) has been working on technical specifications to support making rich Web applications and sites designed with Ajax (also known as AJAX) and related technologies accessible to people with disabilities. The work has focused on defining technologies to map controls, Ajax live regions, and events to accessibility APIs, including custom controls; as well as describing new navigation techniques by marking common Web structures as menus, primary content, secondary content, banner information and other types of Web structures.

A particularly exciting aspect of this "WAI-ARIA" (Accessible Rich Internet Application Suite) work has been its early implementation in browsers and screen readers. Yet until now there hasn't been much guidance for web content developers/authors on what to do with WAI-ARIA (because the Working Group was focusing first on the specification).

Today WAI published documents that help Web content developers know how to use WAI-ARIA to develop accessible rich Web applications, including WAI-ARIA Primer and WAI-ARIA Best Practices. We also posted a WAI-ARIA FAQ that answers questions such as "As a Web developer, what should I do with WAI-ARIA now?" We welcome input on these documents.

Development of WAI-ARIA continues at a relatively fast pace, and "Last Call" Working Drafts could be published in the next few months. Now is the time for your input. In fact, the Working Group is meeting face-to-face the week of 18 February to address open issues and any new comments.

For links to and more details on these new documents, see the Call for Review: New WAI-ARIA Documents announcement e-mail and the WAI-ARIA Overview. Please let us know how these new resources work for you and how we can improve them.

notes:



Mobile-Accessible Overlap

W3C News Blurb:

Relationship Between Mobile Web and Web Content Accessibility (First Public Working Draft)

The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group and the WAI Education and Outreach Working Group have published the First Public Working Draft of Relationship Between Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. See the announcement email.

The groups encourage people to first read Web Content Accessibility and Mobile Web: Making a Web Site Accessible Both for People with Disabilities and for Mobile Devices, which introduces the overlap between design goals and guidelines. Experiences Shared by People with Disabilities and by People Using Mobile Devices provides examples of barriers that people (without disabilities) have when interacting with Web content via mobile devices, and similar barriers for people with disabilities using desktop computers. Learn more about the Mobile Web Initiative and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

notes:

WAI Hightlight (for home page & RSS feed):

Accessible and Mobile: Two Birds with One Stone

Web sites can be designed more efficiently to be accessible for people with disabilities and also for people using mobile devices when developers understand the significant overlap between the two design goals and guidelines. On 22 January, W3C published material describing this overlap. See:

We welcome your comments, preferrably by 3 March 2008. (2008-01-22)

heading brainstorms:

WAI IG e-mail:

MWI BPWG Blog Post:

Mobile, and Accessible to People with Disabilities

... @@...

notes:



WCAG 2.0 Last Call

WAI Highlight for home page & RSS feed:

FINAL VERSION at http://www.w3.org/WAI/highlights/archive#x20071211a

For Review: WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft

A Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) second Last Call Working Draft and updated supporting documents were published 11 December 2007. This Last Call is provided for public review of the document with all resolutions from previous comments incorporated. See:

Please send comments by 1 February 2008. (2007-12-11)

W3C Home Page (and NewsWire and Member Newsletter):

Last Call: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Working Draft

2007-12-11: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group has released a second Last Call Working Draft of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and Working Drafts of Understanding WCAG 2.0 and Techniques for WCAG 2.0. Following WCAG makes Web content more accessible to the vast majority of users, including people with disabilities and older users, using many different devices including a wide variety of assistive technologies. Comments are requested by 1 February 2008. Read the WCAG Overview, Call for Review, and about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

 

WAI IG email:

(note: designed to be highlighly skimmable :)

Call for Review: WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft

Dear WAI Interest Group Participants,

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group invites you to review the second WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft published on 11 December 2007. WCAG 2.0 explains how to make Web sites, applications, and other content accessible to people with disabilities. Please submit any comments on the following document by 1 February 2008:
http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-WCAG20-20071211/

This second WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft is provided for public review of the document now that it has all resolutions from previous comments incorporated. The WCAG Working Group hopes that it has resolved all substantive issues with this draft, and looks forward to progressing to the next stages in completing WCAG 2.0. The next stages are described in:
How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process

The different WCAG 2.0 documents that the WCAG Working Group updated are introduced in:
Overview of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Documents
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag20.php

A key tool for reviewing and working with WCAG 2.0 documents is:
WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference
http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

For a summary of issues, revisions, and rationales on WCAG 2.0 Working Drafts--such as coverage of cognitive disabilities and testability--see:
Issues and Changes to WCAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/2007/12/change-summary

Note that the navigation between the documents is changed in these drafts. Now each topic in "Understanding WCAG 2.0" and "Techniques for WCAG 2.0" is in a separate small Web page.

When you review the updated documents, if there are any significant additional issues that you feel could present a barrier to adoption and implementation of WCAG 2.0, please submit comments by:
Friday 1 February 2008
Please use the comment form or the email address provided in:
Instructions for Commenting on WCAG 2.0 Documents
http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/comments/
Comments in support of progressing WCAG 2.0 to the next stages are also welcome.

WCAG 2.0 is part of a series of accessibility guidelines/standards developed by WAI, which are listed in:
WAI Guidelines and Techniques
http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html

Feel free to circulate this message to other lists; please avoid cross-postings where possible.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your review of WCAG 2.0 documents.

Regards,
~Shawn Henry and Judy Brewer
On behalf of:
Loretta Guarino Reid, Co-chair of WCAG WG, and Computer Scientist, Google Inc.
Gregg Vanderheiden, Co-chair of WCAG WG, and Director of Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michael Cooper, W3C Team Contact for WCAG WG


W3C Q&A blog post:

last updated $Date: 2009/06/26 00:29:54 $

NOTE: This information is an unapproved draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances. Thank you.

material from the top of the page http://www.w3.org/QA/

Is WCAG 2.0 almost done?!

A Last Call Working Draft of WCAG 2.0 was just published. This means that the WCAG Working Group has integrated all resolutions from previous comments. Yeah! Now the question is whether this draft of WCAG 2.0 is ready for the community to support moving it on towards becoming a Web standard (W3C Recommendation)?

I've watched WCAG 2.0's development over the last 7 years (first from outside W3C and then from inside W3C). Hundreds of people have contributed, critiqued, and debated WCAG 2.0 from a broad range of perspectives — individual web developers, large organizations, people with disabilities, and many more. The dedication and struggles of the WCAG Working Group and the thoughtful input from the community has resulted in a strong second Last Call Working Draft that has reached a mature state (and I think everyone will agree is vastly improved from the first Last Call in April 2006!).

It's inherent in the complex issues of web accessibility that guidelines will not be perfect and not everyone will be fully satisfied. So when do you say WCAG 2.0 is good enough? The WCAG Working Group has provided their proposal with this Last Call Working Draft.

I think we've come to the point now where the question should be: Is it better for web accessibility overall for the community to continue to debate, or is it better to polish and accept WCAG 2.0? ...I say, onward. And I hope that the community can also soon say go forward with WCAG 2.0 (and continue to refine the companion material linked below).

WCAG 1.0 has provided a vital international standard. Yet WCAG 2.0 is urgently needed to address current and future technologies and situations.

One of the beauties of the WCAG 2.0 documents is its ability to provide both a stable standard and specific guidance for techniques, technologies, and tools as they advance. WCAG 2.0 itself provides the stable standard, a foundation that doesn't change; Techniques for WCAG 2.0 and Understanding WCAG 2.0 can be updated periodically, for example, to expand the techniques and advice covering accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.

To those interested in the development of WCAG 2.0, I ask if you would carefully consider your approach to reviewing and commenting on these latest Working Drafts, and think about how your feedback can best advance web accessibility overall. Consider supporting efforts to complete WCAG 2.0.

Now I'm off to review how the WCAG Working Group responded to my previous comments, prepared to accept good enough in the interest of moving forward...

By Shawn Henry

NOTE: This information is an unapproved draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.

For Review: UAAG 2.0 Requirements

User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) provides guidance on designing Web browsers, media players, assistive technologies, and other 'user agents' to increase accessibility of the Web to people with disabilities. Plans for new work on a second generation of UAAG was published in the UAAG 2.0 Requirements, Working Draft on 31 October 2007. WAI encourages you to review this document, submit any comments, and consider participating in the UAAG Working Group. See:

Please send comments by 14 December 2007. (2007-10-31)

W3C News Blurb:

UAAG 2.0 Requirements: Working Draft

2007-10-31: The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) Working Group has released a first Working Draft of User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Requirements, which defines planned new work on the second generation of UAAG. UAAG provides guidance on designing Web browsers, media players, assistive technologies, and other 'user agents' to be accessible and to increase accessibility of Web content for people with disabilities. UAAG is part of a series of accessibility guidelines described in Essential Components of Web Accessibility. Read the UAAG Overview and about WAI.

notes:

Pass It On: WCAG 2.0 Presentation Materials

"About WCAG 2.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines" is a presentation that covers the benefits of WCAG 2.0, shortcuts for using WCAG 2.0, how it differs from WCAG 1.0, and related topics. The presentation "slides" and extensive notes are designed for presenters to use for their own presentations. It is also available for anyone who wants to learn about WCAG 2.0. See Instructions for the "About WCAG 2.0" Presentation. (2007-10-31)

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October 2007 Update on WCAG 2.0

The WCAG Working Group is completing resolution of comments on the latest WCAG 2.0 Public Working Draft documents. In November 2007 they plan to send responses on each comment, asking for reply from the reviewer. The Working group plans to publish a second WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft in December 2007, before moving on to the next stages. See:

(2007-10-31)

For Review: Updated WAI-ARIA Working Drafts

W3C WAI's work on accessibility of Ajax, DHTML, and other application technologies includes the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA). Updated Working Drafts of the WAI-ARIA documents were published 18 October 2007. A Best Practices Guide for web developers will be published in a few months. See:

Please send comments by @@ 2007. (2007-10-18)

Mitsue-Links interview & Yahoo presentation

Previous interview blurbs:

WaSP Interview: Judy Brewer on WCAG 2

Judy Brewer discusses WCAG 2.0 status and upcoming drafts with Web Standards Project (WaSP) Accessibility Task Force member Jared Smith. See Interview with Judy Brewer. (2007-05-07)

Podcast: Interview on WCAG 2

Shawn Henry discusses WCAG 2.0 with UK UPA president Giles Colborne: transcript and audio files. (2006-07-06)

A Video Interview with Shawn Henry, From California to Japan

As part of the Mitsue-Links "Meet the Professionals" video series, Shawn Henry of W3C WAI talks with Kazuhito Kidachi about shared responsibilities between web site developers, browsers, and assistive technologies; the importance of different types of authoring tools supporting accessibility; how WCAG 2.0 and WAI-ARIA address the more difficult aspects of Web accessibility; WAI's outreach resources; and what led Shawn to accessibility years ago. See video with English audio and Japanese subtitles, and text transcripts. (2007-07-11)

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NOTE: perhaps different framing for Keio -- more formal, more text. (100-150 words)

questions/topics (questions in email):


Now Showing at the YUI Theater: WCAG 2.0 Presentation

Learn how the WCAG 2.0 Working Draft differs from WCAG 1.0, get shortcuts for using WCAG 2.0, and hear answers to common questions on W3C WAI's work in Shawn Henry's presentation to the Yahoo! Developer Network. Shawn also addresses the role of browsers and authoring tools in Web accessibility, and combining standards and usability techniques to optimize accessibility. See video with audio, slides, and text transcript. (2007-08-09)

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summary of content (slides in powerpoint):

July 2007 Update on WCAG 2.0

The WCAG Working Group received many constructive comments on the 17 May 2007 Drafts. They separated the comments into about 450 issues, ranging from minor edits to technical issues. In the first two weeks of July, the Working Group had eight half-day worksessions where they addressed about 150 of those issues and started work on another 100. See the "Update July 2007" section of the WCAG 2 FAQ for more...

(2007-07-27)

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For Review: Updated WAI-ARIA Working Drafts

W3C WAI's work on accessibility of AJAX, DHTML, and other application technologies includes the Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) Suite. Updated Working Drafts of the WAI-ARIA Suite documents were published @@ Month 2007. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by @@ Month 2007. (2007-@@-@@)

For Review: Updated WCAG 2.0 Documents

Updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Working Draft documents were published 17 May 2007. These documents incorporate resolutions to comments from the 2006 Last Call Working Draft. WAI encourages you to review these drafts and submit any new comments. Please see the additional information in:

Please send comments by 29 June 2007. (2007-05-17)


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Handouts & WCAG 2 update

Updates: WCAG 2.0 and WAI Resources Handouts

WCAG 2.0 primary points, current status, and Web accessibility resources from W3C WAI are topics covered in new handouts that you can use for conferences and presentations. The handouts direct readers to the updated WCAG 2 FAQ, How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process, and other documents. See:

(2007-04-04)

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NOTE DONE: Update on WCAG 2.0 & Handouts

WCAG 2.0 @@

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group has addressed most of the 900 comments from the last review and plans to provide updated Public Working Drafts of WCAG 2.0 documents in late April or May 2007. Please see the WCAG 2 FAQ "Update March 2007" sections and the new WCAG 2.0 handout. (2007-04-04)

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For Review: EARL 1.0 Schema Last Call Working Draft

Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) is a format to exchange, combine, and analyze results from different evaluation tools and checkers. EARL 1.0 Schema Last Call Working Draft and HTTP Vocabulary in RDF Working Draft were published 23 March 2007. See:

Please send comments by 20 April 2007. (2007-03-23)

First Authorized Translation: WCAG 1.0 in Catalan

The W3C Authorized Catalan Translation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 is now available. See:

This WCAG 1.0 Catalan translation is W3C's first Authorized Translation. (2006-12-19)

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W3C planned announcment:

Authorized Translation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in Catalan

2006-12-18: Today the World Web Consortium released the Authorized Catalan Translation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0. The Leading Translation Organization for this Authorized Translation was the Facultat de Biblioteconomia i Documentació - Universitat de Barcelona. Visit the Web Accessibility Initiative home page and the Policy of W3C Authorized Translations.


For Review: Updated WAI-ARIA Working Drafts

W3C WAI's work on accessibility of AJAX, DHTML, and other application technologies includes the Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) Suite. Updated Working Drafts of the WAI-ARIA Suite documents were published 20 December 2006. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 19 January 2006. (2006-12-20)


For Review: ATAG 2.0 Working Draft

An updated Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 Working Draft was published 7 December 2006. WAI encourages you to review this document and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 11 January 2007. (2006-12-07)


WCAG 2 FAQ

Got Questions? View the New WCAG 2 F.A.Q.

WAI gathered a few frequent asked questions (FAQ) about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and provided answers in WCAG 2 FAQ. There we address: When will WCAG 2.0 be done? What is the current status? When should I start using WCAG 2.0? (2006-11-01)

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For Review: Updated EARL 1.0 Schema Working Draft

Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) is a format to exchange, combine, and analyze results from different Web accessibility evaluation tools. EARL 1.0 Schema Working Draft was published 27 September 2006. See:

Please send comments by 25 October 2006. (2006-09-27)


ARIA

Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications: WAI-ARIA Suite Debuts

W3CWAI's work on accessibility of AJAX, DHTML, and emerging rich Internet application technologies is published as First Public Working Drafts. WAI encourages review and comments. See:

For information on how Working Drafts are developed, see: How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process. (2006-09-26)

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Access Board Appointment

source material & notes

WAI to Advise on 508 Standards Update

W3C WAI has been appointed to the Advisory Committee for the revision of U.S. Section 255 guidelines and Section 508 standards, which include Web accessibility. WAI looks forward to continuing to coordinate with organizations around the world to develop harmonized standards for Web accessibility. Additional information is available in the U.S. Access Board article: Board Names Advisory Committee for 508 Standards Update. (2006-07-20)

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UK UPA podcast

Podcast: Interview on WCAG 2

Shawn Henry discusses WCAG 2.0 with UK UPA president Giles Colborne: transcript and audio files. (2006-07-06)

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Custom View of WCAG Two: Quick Reference

WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference lists the basic requirements of WCAG 2.0, which are the success criteria. For each success criteria, it lists techniques that tell you how to meet the requirements. You can customize the Quick Reference for the Web technologies you are using and Levels 1, 2, or 3. See also: Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents. (2006-06-20)

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fyi, from WAI IG email:
I'd also like to bring your attention to the draft "WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference" document, which might be helpful as you review and comment on WCAG 2.0. The WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference is a summary of WCAG 2.0 requirements (success criteria) and the techniques which are sufficient to meet the success criteria when using specific Web technologies.

Extended Deadline: WCAG 2.0 Last Call Review

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Last Call Working Draft and supporting documents were published 27 April 2006. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 22 June 2006. (2006-04-27)

WCAG 2.0 Last Call

W3C Home Page (and NewsWire and Newsletter):
[based on Dec 2005 announcement]

Last Call: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

2006-04-26: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group has released the Last Call Working Draft of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and Working Drafts ofUnderstanding WCAG 2.0, Techniques for WCAG 2.0, and About Baselines for WCAG 2.0. Following WCAG makes Web content more accessible to the vast majority of users, including people with disabilities and older users, using many different devices including a wide variety of assistive technologies. Comments are welcome through 31 May. Read about the Web Accessibility Initiative.

WAI Home Page Highlight and RSS Feed:
[based on Dec 2005 announcement]

For Review: WCAG 2.0 Last Call

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Last Call Working Draft and supporting documents were published 27 April 2006. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:

Please send comments by 31 May 2006.   (2006-04-27)

Involving Users in Eval doc:

goal of highlight:

here's an example of the format and length:

Want to know how people with disabilities use your Web site? Ask.

Web accessibility guidelines, techniques, and tools provide the basis for Web accessibility. Including people with disabilites in the Web development process helps to understand the "why" behind accessibility. It leads to more effective accessibility solutions, developed more efficiently. See Involving Users in Web Accessibility Evaluation . (2005-10-@@)

replies to request for brainstorming incorporated below

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some body thoughts:

  1. Get the most from your accessibility investment and develop effective accessibility solutions by including users. Involving Users in Web Accessibility Evaluation