WAI Technical Activity Statement

The WAI Technical Activity addresses barriers to Web accessibility on several levels. First, it seeks to ensure that the full range of core technologies of the Web, from HTML to the Semantic Web, is accessible. Barriers exist when these technologies lack features needed by users with visual, auditory, physical, cognitive or neurological disabilities, or when the accessibility potential in the technology is not implemented in Web applications or Web content. The WAI Technical Activity coordinates closely with the WAI International Program Office, which focuses on WAI education and outreach, research and development, and overall coordination of WAI activities.

The WAI Technical Activity also promotes implementation of accessibility improvements in Web technologies through development of a set of three WAI guidelines as Recommendations: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; User Agent Accessibility Guidelines; and Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines describe accessibility features needed to achieve different levels of accessibility, and include reference checklists as well as implementation techniques. The WAI Technical Activity also develops techniques to improve tools for evaluation and repair of Web sites through the work of the Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group.

Highlights Since the Previous Advisory Committee Meeting

The Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG):

Met in Boston at the W3C Technical Plenary Week (28 February - 4 March), including a joint meeting with the HTML Working Group and the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
Continued development on an HTML roadmap for accessibility, and ancillary documents on how to present role and state information in XHTML 2.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG):

Met in Boston at the W3C Technical Plenary Week (28 February - 4 March), and in Los Angeles on 20 and 21 March
Has been processing issues and incorporating changes from the 600+ issues received on previous Working Drafts, and preparing a document management plan to close these issues, publish another Working Draft and transition to Last Call by 3rd quarter 2005.

The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG):

Met in Kitchener, Ontario at Desire2Learn (28-29 April)
Processed comments on the 22 November 2004 Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Last Call Working Draft
Preparing a new a Working Draft prior to publishing a second Last Call Working Draft for ATAG 2.0

The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG):

Met in Boston at the W3C Technical Plenary Week (28 February - 4 March), including a joint meeting with the Protocols and Formats Working Group
Worked with W3C Member organizations developing accessibility improvements to Mozilla

The Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG):

Resumed teleconferences in February 2005, and met 3-4 March during the W3C Technical Plenary Week
Working on EARL, and a searchable interface for the database of Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools

Upcoming Activity Highlights

Protocols and Formats Working Group:

Update Inaccessibility of Visually-Oriented Anti-Robot Tests Working Group Note
Release public draft of HTML roadmap, role and state documents
Continue review of XHTML 2, CSS 3, VoiceXML 2.1, and other W3C Working Drafts

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:

Update Requirements for WCAG 2.0
Update Requirements for WCAG 2.0 Checklists and Techniques
Publish updated Working Draft of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
Publish updated Working Draft of General Techniques for WCAG 2.0
Publish updated Working Draft of HTML Techniques for WCAG 2.0
Publish updated Working Draft of CSS Techniques for WCAG 2.0
Publish updated Working Draft of Client-side Scripting Techniques for WCAG 2.0

Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:

Update Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Last Call Working Draft
Continue development on Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0 Working Draft
Continue collaboration with WCAG WG as they develop WCAG 2.0

User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:

Continue to work on test suites and techniques for UAAG 1.0
Continue to collaborate with user agent developers on accessibility issues
Continue collaboration with PFWG on HTML roadmap issues

Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group:

Publish requirements document for EARL 1.0
Publish Working Draft for EARL 1.0
Maintain and provide input for the list of Web accessibility evaluation tools which is currently being updated by the Education and Outreach Working Group

Summary of Activity Structure

Group	Chair	Team Contact	Charter
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (participants)	Jutta Treviranus	Matt May	Chartered until 31 December 2006
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (participants)	Shadi Abou-Zahra	Shadi Abou-Zahra	Chartered until 31 December 2006
Protocols and Formats Working Group (participants)	Alfred Gilman	Matt May	Chartered until 31 December 2007
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (participants)	Jon Gunderson	Matt May	Chartered until 31 December 2006
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (participants)	Gregg Vanderheiden, John Slatin	Wendy Chisholm	Chartered until 31 December 2006

This Activity Statement was prepared for the 5-7 June 2005 W3C Advisory Committee Meeting (Members only) per the W3C Process Document section 5.

Judy Brewer, WAI Technical Activity Lead

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