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People with disabilities have long been excluded from new technologies. A growing technology gap threatens to increase the high rates of unemployment and exclusion that people with disabilities face in the United States and worldwide. AAPD, the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S., enthusiastically welcomes these new guidelines which will help make the Web more accessible to the constituency we represent. AAPD encourages all Web site developers to demand authoring tools that implement these guidelines and that can be used to maximize the participation of all in the Web community.
-- Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO, American Association of People with Disabilities
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, together with W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines issued last spring, represent a sea change for the Internet. If tools implementing these guidelines are placed in the hands of Web designers, accessibility will be the standard outcome of Web site development. By making the tools themselves accessible for individuals with disabilities, the opportunity to participate in the global community of the Internet is opened to all. The Access to Information Task Force applauds the work of WAI and pledges our efforts to promote use of these guidelines.
-- Paul W. Schroeder, Chair, Access to Information Task Force, which includes: The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), The American Council of the Blind (ACB), The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), and the National Industries for the Blind (NIB).
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines represent a major step forward that will allow for the creation of accessible Web pages. W3C's Amaya team wholeheartedly supports these guidelines, and has already started implementing the guidelines in Amaya, W3C's Web browser/editor test bed. Implementing and demonstrating W3C Recommendations is the main purpose of Amaya, and implementing the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines will be among the top priorities of the Amaya development team.
-- Irène Vatton, Amaya Architect, W3C/INRIA
As a company dedicated to accessible communications, Bell Atlantic would welcome the availability of commercial-grade authoring tools to automate the creation of accessible web sites. The incredible potential of the Internet will not be fully achieved unless all users -- including those with disabilities -- can successfully participate in the e-commerce, information and entertainment opportunities offered on-line. We salute the W3C's success in bringing industry and the disability community together to develop accessibility guidelines, and we encourage Internet users on both sides of the monitor to support Web accessibility.
-- Tom Tauke, Senior Vice President, Bell Atlantic
When Boeing says the Web can help us do business with "anyone, anywhere, any time," we mean anyone. Both our external Web site and our intranet are used by a large and diverse base of customers, employees, suppliers, and partners. We are committed to making those sites accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. Boeing applauds the Web Accessibility Initiative's efforts to simplify the development of accessible sites and encourages our vendors to adopt the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines."
-- Ann Bassetti, Web Products Manager, Boeing Shared Services Group, The Boeing Company
Electricité de France is a group that employs a large number of disabled people, some of them with severe handicaps. We welcome this Recommendation as a new step towards more accessible work environments we could provide them. From a business to consumer point of view, we wish to greet a specification that will allow us, if tool vendors conform to these guidelines, to establish better contacts with our customers.
-- Laurent Prevosto and Daniel Glazman, Electricité de France
Since the design of Web pages affects accessibility of Web sites for people with visual impairments, the Hong Kong Blind Union supports the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines which will help protect our equal rights to access the Web. Availability of authoring tools that support these guidelines will help organizations make their Web sites accessible. The Hong Kong Blind Union will promote awareness and implementation of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines to our government, public sector, and private sector.
-- Mr. Chong Chan Yau JP, President, Hong Kong Blind Union
The World Wide Web was originally envisioned as a read-AND-write medium; Web users are active participants, not a passive audience. The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines embody that vision, promoting the creation of software to let everyone fully participate in the Web, as content creators and content users.
-- Kynn Bartlett, President, HTML Writers Guild.
IBM supports this W3C Recommendation and recognizes it as the standard for authoring tool accessibility. The Recommendation sets a challenging bar for tool manufacturers to meet, but, once met, it will benefit not only the tool users, but the millions of people who need accessible Web content. Our own TopPage and WebSphere Studio tools will be meeting checkpoints and aiding in the production of accessible content. IBM's participation in W3C and development of Home Page Reader are additional initiatives helping to make e-business accessible for everyone.
-- Jeffrey Barnett, IBM WebSphere Product Manager
We are pleased to see W3C encouraging the development of Web software products to enhance accessibility of Web sites through provision of guidelines that will facilitate development of such products. We understand the guidelines will enable software suppliers to provide authoring tools that facilitate the creation of accessible Web-based services and information. Canadians are increasingly using the Web as a tool for electronic commerce and personal development such as distance learning. Sites which facilitate access by all Canadians will obviously have an advantage.
-- Eleanor Zazaluk, Chair, Internet Advisory Committee, Treasury Board Secretariat, Government of Canada
The Authoring Tool guidelines are a highly leveraged step toward more accessible Web sites. Widespread adoption of the guidelines by companies that produce authoring tools - and in turn, widespread use of those tools - will make accessible Web sites the default rather than the exception. In addition, the guidelines can help encourage the wide range of manufacturers to make their authoring tools more usable by people with disabilities. Microsoft is proud to have been an active contributor to the development of these guidelines.
-- Greg Lowney, Director of Accessibility, Microsoft Corp.
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines help fulfill two basic needs of people with disabilities on the Web: access and participation. In July, 1999 the Portuguese Government's Council of Ministers approved a resolution requiring accessible Web content on public administration Web sites. The Ministry of Science and Technology will monitor, evaluate and support Web authoring tools that make this task easier. Web authoring tools are critical for education, work and full participation in the "Internet Society," and should be based on principles of accessible software design which enable authoring by people with disabilities.
-- Francisco Godinho, Adviser for the National Initiative for Citizens with Special Needs in the Information Society - Ministry of Science and Technology, Portugal
The full potential of the Web will only be realized when all the rich sources of information and content it contains are fully accessible. The W3C's Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines offers a significant enabling foundation that provides consistent support in Web content authoring tools for the creation of Web content that is accessible by all users. As a leading innovator in web-based multimedia and rich Web experiences, RealNetworks supports these guidelines and we fully intend to implement support for the guidelines in upcoming products.
-- Ben Rotholtz, General Manager, Systems and Tools, RealNetworks
The Royal National Institute for the Blind cannot overstress the important role that the World Wide Web Consortium is playing in recommending Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, which support accessible content development and accessibility of the tools themselves. We fully endorse all steps taken that enhance the possibility of accessing electronic data across the Web by visually impaired people and people with other disabilities.
Steve Tyler, Royal National Institute for the Blind
Sausage welcomes the release of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines as a W3C Recommendation, and will implement and promote awareness of the Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative to deliver increased functionality to customers of our HotDog Web authoring tools.
-- Rob Oliphant - General Manager Internet Tools, Sausage Software Limited
The SID@R (Web Accessibility Initiatives Seminar) of Real Patronato, Spain, considers that it is especially important that all people can be authors of information on the Web, as well as readers. The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines are a comprehensive and clear document, and we will be pleased to have tools available that implement these guidelines that will enable more people to create Web content and to use the Web. SIDAR will promote awareness and implementation of these guidelines.
-- Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, SID@R Coordinator
Making the Web accessible to everyone is an important activity for W3C, and one which SoftQuad Software fully supports. The release of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Recommendation continues this fine work. Our award-winning Web site creation tool, HoTMetaL PRO, was the first to incorporate several accessibility features, including prompting, to help make both browsing and authoring for the Web accessible to everyone.
-- Roberto Drassinower, CEO, SoftQuad Software Inc.
Les Guides d'Accessibilité des Outils Auteur représentent un grand pas en avant pour la création de futures pages Web accessibles. Toute l'équipe Amaya du W3C supporte de tout coeur ces guides et a déjà commencé leur implémentation dans Amaya, l'éditeur/navigateur expérimental du W3C. L'implémentation et la démonstration des recommandations du W3C est la tâche principale de Amaya, et l'implémentation des Guides d'Accessibilité des Outils Auteur sera l'une des grandes priorités de l'équipe de développement de Amaya.
-- Irène Vatton, Amaya Architect, W3C/INRIA
Electricité de France est un groupe qui emploie un grand nombre de personnels handicapés, certains souffrant d'un handicap très important. Nous accueillons très favorablement cette proposition de Recommandation qui représente pour nous un nouveau pas vers la fourniture d'environnements de travail adaptés à ces employés. Dans une optique plus Service, nous saluons une spécification qui nous permettra, si elle est respectée par les outils de production, de meilleurs contacts avec nos clients.
-- Laurent Prevosto and Daniel Glazman, Electricité de France
El SID@R (Seminario de Iniciativas sobre Discapacidad y Accesibilidad en la Red) del Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalía, considera especialmente importante que todas las personas puedan ser autores de información en la Web, tanto como lectores. Las Directrices de Accesibilidad para Herramientas de Autor constituyen un documento claro y exhaustivo, y nos complacería contar con herramientas que siguiesen dichas pautas, lo que capacitaría a más personas para crear contenidos y para usar la Web. El SID@R promueve el conocimiento y uso de esas directrices.
-- Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, SID@R Coordinator
The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the USA, the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, reference code implementations to embody and promote standards, and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, over 390 organizations are Members of the Consortium.
For more information about the World Wide Web Consortium, see http://www.w3.org/
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