Edit comment LC-2691 for Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

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Comment LC-2691: Comment Shortname:; Commenter: Alex Li <alli@microsoft.com> on behalf of Microsoft; Message-id:; Section of the document concerned:

or; Refinement of the section concerned:; Status:
assigned to; Type:; Comment:
Keyboard should not be required for all scenarios. Alternate approach should be considered.
WCAG 2.0 success criteria 2.1.1 is no longer an appropriate requirement for software. Keyboard was the input method of choice for visually impaired and users without fine motor control. But keyboard is no long the only viable option for input and navigation in such scenarios. It would be important to recognize that there are alternatives to keyboard input such as allowing multiple user selectable input options that use different bodily functions (speech recognition, gesture, touch, etc.) Keyboard should no longer be considered a required input method when other viable options are available. In fact, we believe our recommendation is more accessible to more people, with and without disabilities. We recommend to replace WCAG 2.0 2.1.1 with a more flexible success criteria to allow accessible ICT innovation. "Where the platform supports keyboard navigational and manipulation interfaces, all functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints. Where the platform does not support keyboard navigational and manipulation interfaces, all functionality of the content is operable through at least two user selectable input and feedback modalities, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints."; Related issues: (space separated ids); WG Notes:; Proposed Resolution: Than you for your recommendation. Unfortunately we can't replace any WCAG 2.0 success criteria with a different one. That would be creating a new standard which the task force work statement does not allow us to do. Also note that we are only creating an informative document - not a normative one. We have, however, added two clarifying notes to 2.1.1 that address the situation you raised: Note 1: This does not imply that software must directly support a keyboard or “keyboard interface”. Nor does it imply that software must provide a soft keyboard. Underlying platform software may provide device independent input services to applications that enable operation via a keyboard. Software that supports operation via such platform device independent services would be operable by a keyboard and would comply. Note 2: See also the discussion on Closed Functionality in the Introduction.; (Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)