• Skip to content
• | Change text size or colors

WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

Site Navigation

W3C Home

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Home

1. Introducing Accessibility
2. Guidelines & Techniques
3. Managing Accessibility
4. Evaluating Accessibility
5. WAI Groups
   1. Authoring Tool (AUWG)
   2. Education & Outreach (EOWG)
   3. Evaluation Tools (ERT WG)
   4. Protocols & Formats (PFWG)
   5. Research (RDIG)
   6. User Agent (UAWG)
   7. WAI Interest Group (WAI IG)
   8. »Web Content (WCAG WG)
      1. Minutes
      2. Current Participants
      3. How to Join (Participation)
      4. Charter
      5. E-mail Archives
      6. More WCAG WG pages...
6. About WAI

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) Charter

This charter is written in accordance with Section 6.2.6 of the 14 October 2005 W3C Process Document.

Information about participation in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is available.

1. Mission

The mission of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) is to develop guidelines to make Web content accessible for people with disabilities. In particular, the WCAG WG will publish the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 as a W3C Recommendation.

This mission is complementary to the work of other Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups within the WAI Technical Activity and the WAI International Program Office Activity. The WCAG WG is part of the WAI Technical Activity.

The WCAG WG was first chartered in August 1997 (charter) to produce WCAG 1.0 which became a W3C Recommendation in May 1999. The WCAG WG was rechartered in November 2000 (charter) and January 2005 (charter) to continue W3C's work on guidelines for creating accessible Web content. The early history of this group is documented in the "End of Charter Report for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group." The group is being rechartered to allow additional time for development of WCAG 2.0 and support of the document after going to Recommendation.

2. Scope

The WCAG WG's scope of work includes:

1. Advance WCAG 2.0 to a W3C Recommendation
2. Develop techniques for implementing the WCAG 2.0 in W3C technologies and collaborate on development of techniques for non-W3C technologies
3. Describe test procedures for WCAG 2.0 techniques
4. Document implementation testing experience of WCAG 2.0
5. Develop supporting resources, as needed

Consistent with W3C Process requirements on Task Forces, the WCAG WG may form task forces composed of WCAG WG participants or join other W3C task forces to carry out assignments when under the chartered scope of WCAG WG. Any such task force must have a work statement (including objectives, communication, participation, and leadership) that has been announced on the WCAG WG mailing list, approved by the WCAG WG, and is available from the WCAG WG home page. WCAG WG task forces should produce requirements documents that outline the scope and expectations for work. Task forces may set up separate teleconferences and hold face-to-face meetings per the W3C process and with the approval of the WCAG WG.

3. Duration

The Working Group is scheduled for 19 months, from 1 June 2006 through 31 December 2007, when the current authorization for the WAI Technical Activity ends.

4. Deliverables

The WCAG WG will produce the following deliverables:

1. Requirements for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, to be published as a Working Group Note
2. Requirements for WCAG 2.0 Checklists and Techniques, to be published as a Working Group Note
3. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, to be published as a W3C Recommendation
4. Understanding WCAG 2.0, to be published as a Working Group Note(s). Understanding WCAG 2.0 explains the intent of each Success Criterion and links to known sufficient techniques, both general and technology-specific.
5. Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, to be published as a Working Group Note(s). The WCAG WG will produce techniques to demonstrate applicability of WCAG 2.0 to a variety of technologies. The WCAG WG does not expect this to be a comprehensive list of all techniques and anticipates that the document(s) will evolve over time. Techniques will include HTML, CSS, SMIL, and other W3C technologies as well as general techniques that apply across technologies. Each technique will include a test procedure.
6. Supporting resources, as needed, to clarify or provide additional information about important concepts (for example, "About Baselines and WCAG 2.0").
7. Documentation of open issues, resolutions, responses to comments, and implementation reports and other artifacts of the W3C Process as described in section 7.2 General Requirements for Advancement on the Recommendation Track of the W3C Process document.
8. Meeting minutes

5. Milestones

All publishing milestones are approximate.

• Q2 2006
  • Begin operating under new charter
  • Last Call Working Draft of WCAG 2.0
  • Working Drafts of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Drafts of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
  • Implementation teleconference(s), as needed
• Q3 2006
  • Candidate Recommendation of WCAG 2.0
  • Working Drafts of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Draft of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
  • Implementation teleconference(s), as needed
  • WCAG WG face-to-face meeting
• Q4 2006
  • Proposed Recommendation of WCAG 2.0
  • Working Draft of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Draft of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
  • WCAG 2.0 Recommendation
  • Working Group Note - Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Group Note - Techniques document(s) - including tests
• Q1 2007
  • Working Draft of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Draft of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
• Q2 2007
  • Working Draft of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Draft of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
• Q3 2007
  • Working Draft of Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Draft of Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
• Q4 2007
  • Working Group Note - Understanding WCAG 2.0 document(s)
  • Working Group Note - Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document(s) - including tests
  • Plan for going forward

6. Dependencies

WCAG WG dependencies with WAI Working Groups and other W3C Groups include:

• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG) -- ensure that WCAG 2.0 reflects correct interpretation and integration with ATAG 1.0 and ATAG 2.0, coordinate on development of test files and test procedures.
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG) -- ensure that WCAG 2.0 reflects correct interpretation and integration with UAAG 1.0, coordinate on development of tests.
• Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG member page is also available) -- work with PFWG to provide input into other W3C groups on accessibility requirements and to review WCAG 2.0 Techniques
• Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG) -- interpret and coordinate development of techniques for developers of testing methodologies and tools, coordinate on development of test files and test procedures.
• Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) -- coordinate on making WCAG 2.0 usable by a wider audience, on developing strategies and materials to increase awareness and to educate Web community about WCAG 2.0, ensure WCAG 2.0 uses terms from WAI Glossary properly. Historically, the EOWG has created business case information, evaluation processes, curriculum, quick tips and other resources to clarify the work of the WCAG WG.
• WAI Interest Group (WAI IG) -- send deliverables for review
• WAI Coordination Group (WAI CG) -- address questions on dependencies
• Quality Assurance Working Group (QAWG) -- coordinate with regard to Quality Assurance (QA) Framework
• Other W3C Working Groups -
  • ensure Techniques are in line with technology specifications,
  • request review and contributions to techniques,
  • determine if and how guidelines and success criteria are applicable to W3C technologies
• External organizations -- solicit review comments from external organizations that may reference WCAG 2.0 in policies and tools.

7. Confidentiality

The WCAG WG is a public Working Group as defined by Section 4.1 of the W3C Process Document. The Working Group maintains a public mailing list at w3c-wai-gl@w3.org.

8. Meetings

• Distributed meetings every week
• Approximately one face-to-face every 6 months

9. Communication

9.1 Communication within group

• WCAG WG mailing list: w3c-wai-gl
• WCAG WG home page

9.2 Communication within W3C

• WAI Coordination Group
• Protocols and Formats Working Group
• WAI liaison (via PFWG) to the Hypertext Coordination Group (Member-only)
• WAI Domain Lead
• Member newswire & newsletter
• W3C Chairs mailing list (Member-only)
• Specific W3C Working Groups as needed

9.3 Communication with public

• Education and Outreach Working Group work
• WAI Interest Group

10. Voting

The primary means of decision-making in the WCAG WG is consensus. This charter is written in accordance with Section 3.4, Votes of the 14 October 2005 W3C Process Document. The Chair decides whether a quorum is present for any Working Group meeting.

11. Patent Policy

This Working Group operates under the 5 February 2004 W3C Patent Policy. To promote the widest adoption of Web standards, W3C seeks to issue Recommendations that can be implemented, according to this policy, on a Royalty-Free basis.

12. Participation

12.1 Member and Invited Expert participation

The WCAG WG welcomes participation from W3C Member Organizations, and also invites experts from disability organizations, accessibility researchers, assistive technology developers, government organizations, and others interested in promoting accessibility of Web content, subject to the W3C Invited Expert policy.

Participants are expected to observe individual participation criteria and maintain Good Standing as defined in the W3C Process Document to ensure effective consensus-building of the WCAG WG. For the WCAG WG, the following commitment is expected to qualify for Good Standing:

• Minimum 6 hours per week, including meeting time and reading/responding to mailing list
• Contribute to WCAG WG deliverables
• Remain current on w3c-wai-gl list (mailing list archive) and respond in timely manner to postings on mailing list
• Participate in two (2) of every three (3) weekly teleconferences of the WCAG WG (attending only task force teleconferences and not Working Group teleconferences does not meet this criterion)
• Participate in face-to-face meetings
• Remain aware of work in other WAI Working Groups

12.2 Subscribing to the mailing list or joining the group

Information about participation in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is available.

12.3 W3C Team participation

• 45% Wendy Chisholm -- co-editor, staff contact
• 5% Judy Brewer

Document Information

[Contacting WAI]

File (not content) last updated on $Date: 2006/05/15 14:59:38 $ $Author: wendy $