Edit comment LC-2665 for Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

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Comment LC-2665: Comment Shortname:; Commenter: Duff Johnson <djohnson@commonlook.com>; Message-id:; Section of the document concerned:

or; Refinement of the section concerned:; Status:
assigned to; Type:; Comment:
NEGLECTED USE CASES

A number of concepts occur in the “non-Web” world but don’t feature in the web content considerations developed in WCAG 2.0. Many of these are known to or may have implications for accessibility. Examples include:

Content: interoperability, relationships between text, data, data groupings, metadata, annotations, redactions (selective absence of information), fonts, navigation without links.

Context: pagination, usage, formality, intent (print, email, web, archive), authentication (digital signatures), portability, pagination, closed systems.

Workflow: relationships between source, interim, marked-up, print-stream, flattened, annotated and final-form content.; Related issues: LC-2663
(space separated ids); WG Notes: [Loïc's previous proposal from - 2013-01-14] This document provides informative guidance with regard to the interpretation and application of WCAG 2.0 to non-Web documents and software. WCAG is a standard for Web content accessibility, and it does not deal with such things as hardware aspects of products, closed products and requirements for non-user interface aspects of platforms, nor individual components. For this reason, this document is not sufficient by itself to ensure accessibility in non-Web documents and software. Addressing accessibility for non-Web documents and software may involve provisions beyond those included in this document. Authors and developers are encouraged to seek relevant advice about current best practices to ensure that non-Web documents and software are accessible, as far as possible, to people with disabilities. [Loïc - 2013-01-14] According to the resolutions of the meeting of 2013-01-11, I've modified the proposed resolution. The new text is based on words that we have in the introduction and in the "excluded from scope" section. For the record, here is the text that was the previous resolution proposal: We agree with you that these are important. Most of these involve information that is provided to viewers. The WCAG guidelines individually and collectively require that all information that is presented be accessible in different forms directly, or through AT. So most of these would appear to be covered. You are correct that closed systems or closed functionality would not be covered. As a result, we are going to have a @@specific section in the introduction that discusses closed functionality and how to handle them since "programmatic determinability" won't work if assistive technologies cannot be used.; Proposed Resolution: The task force agrees that these are important. Most of these involve information that is provided to viewers. The WCAG guidelines individually and collectively require that all information that is presented be available in different forms directly, or through AT. Many of the items in this list would appear to be covered. Closed systems or closed functionality would not be covered. As a result, the task force is going to have a specific section in the introduction that discusses closed functionality and how to handle them since "programmatic determinability" won't work if assistive technologies cannot be used. In addition, please see the <<URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2ict>> 2nd public draft. In the <<URL:http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2ict/#intro>> introduction it is acknowledged that more provisions may be needed in addition to WCAG 2.0 to fully address accessibility of non-Web ICT: "Because WCAG 2.0 was developed for the Web, addressing accessibility for non-Web documents and software may involve provisions beyond those included in this document. Authors and developers are encouraged to seek relevant advice about current best practices to ensure that non-Web documents and software are accessible, as far as possible, to people with disabilities." And in the <<URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2ict/#intro_excluded>> "excluded from scope" section, the third item in the list says: "Because this document deals with applying WCAG, which is a standard for content accessibility, to ICT it does not deal with such things as closed products and requirements for non-user interface aspects of platforms, nor individual components. As such, this document is not sufficient by itself to ensure accessibility in non-Web documents and software."; (Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)