Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG) Public Page

Current Work

W3C invites public comment on the Working Drafts in Last Call. The WAI and the Protocols and Formats Working Group invite anyone who perceives an access problem with these drafts to comment. Submit you comments as directed in the individual drafts; the email addresses vary from document to document.

W3C Working Drafts reflecting the work of this group:

XML Accessibility Guidelines: The discussions for XAG take place on the public wai-xtech list. This specifcation is developed by the Working Group.
Natural Language Usage -- Issues and Strategies for Universal Access to Information: This paper suggests a possible implementation of a language annotation system to clarify meaning in potentially ambiguous terms.
Inaccessibility of Visually-Oriented Anti-Robot Tests: Problems and Alternatives: This paper evaluates the accessibility problems with CAPTCHA, a visual verification system popular on many Web sites, and evaluates a number of more-accessible alternatives to the same problems CAPTCHA claims to solve.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

In particular, the Working Group has an active area of work in the area of Document Interaction. This combines a number of interlocking threads: getting scripted widgets in web pages to bind correctly to the APIs that Assistive Technologies use; disclosing navigation landmarks within web pages to enable effective intra-page navigation, and similar metadata-driven improvements in access to web content. A rudimentary introduction focused on the intra-page navigation topic has been shared with the WAI-IG list.

Publications

The PFWG people (working under the PF or HC WG name) have been responsible in the past for the incorporation of a number of the accessibility improvements introduced into HTML 4.0, CSS2, and SMIL 1.0. They are discussed in the following education notes:

About the PFWG

Contacts:

PFWG Chair: Al Gilman < Alfred.S.Gilman @ ieee.org >
PFWG W3C Team Contact: Matt May < mcmay @ w3.org >

The PFWG looks at the formal Web technologies (protocols, formats, etc.) from an accessibility perspective. Best practices for using these technologies are addressed by other WAI groups, producing guidelines explaining how to use the technologies.

The principal output of this working group is feedback to other W3C working groups developing specification, on how to ensure that their work can allow for accessibility. This does not generally create deliverables in the form of W3C publications.

In particular, the group tries to review at least every Last Call working draft.

The PFWG also works on the XML Accessibility Guidelines (XAG).

The charter of the working group outlines the goals, work methods, and requirements for participation. Another document explains how to join the group. It also explains why the working drafts and email archives of this group are in the members-only area. This activity is conducted by the W3C as part of its Web Accessibility Initiative

Some areas of related work:

Protocols and Formats

On the growing edge of the Web we find Protocols and Formats such as:

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) provides for continuous enhancement of the hypertext medium.
The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) which introduces symbolic representation of graphics.
The Resource Description Framework (RDF) introduces knowledge about resources to the Web.
The Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) offers a means to exchange multimedia content across the breadth of the Web.
The Document Object Model (DOM) offers a neutral API for accessing the document tree.

Other WAI Groups

Most accessibility issues involve cooperative work between the PFWG and its sister groups within the WAI, particularly

Evaluation and Repair Tools (ERT) which deals with assessing and correcting accessibility in Web pages
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) on the use of document formats to build resource webs of universal accessibility.
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) analyzes user interface dialogs and requirements, and what browsers and access agents that form part of the adapted client can do to optimize access.
Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) deals with the automation of accessible resource development and the accessibility of resource development automation.
Education and Outreach (EOWG) carries the message to various segments of the Web community.

Al Gilman <Alfred.S.Gilman@IEEE.org> - Chair, PFWG
Matt May <mcm@w3.org> - W3C Staff Contact
Last modified: $Date: 2005/07/22 16:25:10 $

Copyright © 1997-2004 W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C liability, trademark, document useand software licensingrules apply. Your interactions with this site are in accordance with our public and Member privacy statements.