Outline and background for techniques for making content easier to understand

Background

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

http://212.187.34.208/wwaac/project/symbols.asp

• some people who don't read, write, or communicate well use symbols. (good explanatory uri at WWAAC site? other resource?)
• Handicom explanation of symbol for windows (diff symbol databases)
• Augmentative Communication: A Glossary
• WAC's summary for March 2002 F2F

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

• WCAG 2.0 checkpoints that are most relevant:
  1. Checkpoint 4.1 Write as clearly and simply as is [appropriate / possible] for the purpose of the content.
  2. Checkpoint 4.2 Supplement text with non-text content.
  3. Checkpoint 4.3 Annotate complex, abbreviated, or unfamiliar information with summaries and definitions.

WWAAC

work packages, most relevant:

• Language focused R & D (concept codes)
• Development of Internet Access Applications
• Web tools and guidelines

Plain language

One method to satisfy checkpoint 4.1 is to use a "controlled language" or a reduced word vocabulary. Many industries have controlled languages. For example the aerospace industry uses controlled languages to write technical manuals. Avi Arditti selected the following resources for introduction to this topic.

• Developing a Resource for Multinational Writing at Xerox Corporation
• Guidelines for Authoring Comprehensible Web Pages and Evaluating Their Success
• Revisiting Plain Language
• Plain Language Action Network - variety of resources.

Concept codes

The WWAAC has been working on the idea of standardizing concept codes to facilitate translation of text into symbols. Lisa Seeman is also interested in this and has produced an example schema.

• @@WWAAC examples
• wordnet a place to start? too english-specific? how do you identify a word in the lexicon? e.g. cat = http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn1.7.1?stage=1&word=cat ?
  • Wordnet - An Electronic Lexical Database, ed. by Christiane Fellbaum. MIT press.
• Web Ontology Working Group home page
• Interoperable Language Standard - Lisa Seeman

W3C Annotea work

If text was annotated with concept codes, then a browser could request the annotations (concept codes) for a web page display the appropriate symbols instead of or alongside text. The Annotea project is W3C work to create an annotation client (in Amaya) and methods to store and retrieve annotations.

• Annotea project overview of the project including:
  • how to set up an annotation server,
  • use annotations,
  • write a client.
• Also, links to page of Annotea related documents (presentations, papers, etc.)

Contributors

• Avi Arditti - Voice of America
• Jonathan Chetwynd
• Lisa Seeman - Unbounded Access
• WWAAC folks
  • Doeko Hekstra - Handicom
  • Mike Clarke, Andrew Lysley, Mark Saville, David Colven - ACE Centre Advisory Trust
  • Colette Nicolle - Loughborough University
  • Bengt Farre - Femtio Procent Data
• SWAD-E folks
  • Charles McCathieNevile, Dan Brickley - W3C
  • Libby Miller - ILRT/University of Bristol

$Date: 2002/07/11 20:59:12 $ Wendy Chisholm