[DRAFT] Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group Charter

The mission of the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group (ARIA WG, formerly part of the Protocols and Formats Working Group) is to develop technologies that enhance accessibility of web content for people with disabilities. This includes continued development of the Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) suite of technologies and other technical specifications when needed to bridge known gaps.

This mission is complementary to the work of other Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) groups

Join the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group.

End date	31 July 2018
Confidentiality	Proceedings are public.
Initial Chairs	Proposed: Rich Schwerdtfeger
Initial Team Contacts (FTE %: 25)	Michael Cooper (25%)
Usual Meeting Schedule	Teleconferences: Weekly Face-to-face: approximately 2 per year

Scope

Create technology extensions to address accessibility issues in already deployed technologies;
Build and execute test suites for normative deliverables;
Help create WCAG 2.0 techniques for technologies that ARIA WG helps to develop;
Determine features needed in future versions of ARIA and publish requirements.

This Working Group is one of two split from the former Protocols and Formats Working Group. This group focuses on technology development while the APA Working Group focuses on technology review. While there were structural reasons favoring this change, it is uncertain at the time of charter development if this split will achieve the efficiency and effectiveness gains anticipated. The groups will evaluate their success one year into the charter period, and if they determine that the effectiveness is reduced from the previous model, they may propose a new charter that recombines the two groups.

Success Criteria

Release of WAI-ARIA 1.1 and supporting specifications as a W3C Recommendation;
Begin work on future versions of WAI-ARIA and supporting specification modules;
Demonstrate successful implementation of WAI-ARIA and the improved accessibility of Rich Web (Web 2.0) content in a broad range of user agents.

Deliverables

The following deliverables would be published as W3C Technical Reports and supporting resources. Accessibility API Mapping Guides fill the role previously filled by WAI-ARIA 1.0 User Agent Implementation Guide, modularized and developed on separate timelines to address multiple host languages.

Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) modules (Recommendation) versions 1.1 and later including but not limited to:
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) core module,
- Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA module (Jointly with the Digital Publishing Interest Group),
- Graphics WAI-ARIA module; (jointly with the SVG working group),
- Cognitive WAI-ARIA module (jointly with the APA and WCAG),
- WAI-ARIA Interaction Module 1.0 (jointly with the WebApps Working Group);
Accessibility API Mapping modules (Recommendation) versions 1.0 and later including but not limited to:
- Core Accessibility API Mappings,
- Accessible Name and Description: Computation and API Mappings,
- HTML Accessibility API Mappings (jointly with the HTML Working Group),
- SVG Accessibility API Mappings (jointly with the SVG Working Group),
- Digital Publishing Accessibility API Mappings (jointly with the Digital Publishing Interest Group);
User Context Properties (Recommendation) versions 1.0 and later (formerly developed by the IndieUI Working Group as IndieUI: User Context);
WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices (Note);
Joint deliverables with the HTML Working Group prepared by the HTML Accessibility Task Force. At charter time, these include:
- Using WAI-ARIA in HTML.
Test suites for technical specifications;
DTDs, schemata, and other resources to support automated validation of content that uses WAI-ARIA.

The ARIA Working Group expects to work jointly with other Working Groups on many of the above deliverables, and may form joint task forces.

Other Deliverables

Feedback to W3C specification developers;
Requirements for normative deliverables including future WAI-ARIA versions;
WAI-ARIA samples;
WAI-ARIA 2.0 Roadmap;
Contribute to WCAG 2.0 Techniques specific techniques for HTML 5 and ARIA (jointly produced with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group);

Milestones

Some deliverables below are not projected to achieve completion by the end of the three-year span of this charter. The Working Group intends to begin work on them during this charter period and continue work in a future charter period. Timelines projected beyond the end of the current charter period are indicated as "Post 2018".

Milestones
Specification	FPWD	CR	PR	Rec
Note: The group will document significant changes from this initial schedule on the group home page.
WAI-ARIA 1.1		Oct 2015	Apr 2016	Jun 2016
Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA module	Jun 2015	Feb 2016	Jun 2016	Aug 2016
Graphics WAI-ARIA module	Oct 2015	Nov 2016	Oct 2017	Dec 2017
Core Accessibility API Mappings		Oct 2015	Mar 2016	Apr 2016
Accessible Name and Description: Computation and API Mappings 1.1		Oct 2015	Mar 2016	Apr 2016
HTML Accessibility API Mappings		Dec 2015	Mar 2016	Apr 2016
SVG Accessibility API Mappings		Feb 2016	Oct 2016	Dec 2016
Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA Accessibility API Mappings	Aug 2015	Oct 2016	Jun 2017	Aug 2017
User Context Properties	May 2016	May 2017	Nov 2017	Jan 2018
WAI-ARIA 2.0	Jun 2017	Post 2018	Post 2018	Post 2018
Cognitive WAI-ARIA Module	Nov 2015	Feb 2017	Apr 2018	Jun 2018
WAI-ARIA Interaction Module 1.0	Mar 2016	Sep 2017	Post 2018	Post 2018

A detailed plan to achieve these milestones, and known deviations from these initially chartered milestones, is documented in the {future resource} ARIA WG Project Management Plan.

Dependencies

Dependencies on W3C Groups

Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group: Collaborate on joint deliverables.
CSS Working Group: Coordinate media queries support for context awareness. Provide requirements for future WAI-ARIA support. Coordinate on general CSS accessibility topics.
Digital Publishing Interest Group: Coordinate development of digital publishing roles.
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group: Coordinate on approaches for automated testing of deliverables.
Internationalization Activity: Coordinate how to address accessibility and internationalization in W3C specs.
HTML Working Group and Web Applications Working Group (expected to combine and become the Web Platform Working Group): Implementation of ARIA and HTML Accessibility API Mappings, coordinate development of APIs that address accessibility use cases, and work on other joint deliverables including Canvas 2D Context.
Privacy Interest Group: Identify and resolve privacy implications of features of the technology that capture user environment information, particularly specific assistive technology being used, in order to customize the user experience.
SVG Working Group: Develop graphics role module and SVG Accessibility API Mappings..

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group: Work on HTML 5 and ARIA Techniques for WCAG 2.0.

Furthermore, Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group expects to follow these W3C Recommendations:

Liaisons to External Groups

ARIA WG does not maintain formal liaisons to external groups, but does coordinate on an as-needed basis on topics of mutual relevance. At charter time, these organizations include:

DAISY Consortium;
OpenAjax Alliance Accessibility Task Force;
Linux Foundation Open Accessibility Workgroup;
IETF (where protocols impact accessibility);
Raising the Floor;
Schema.org and Schema.org Community Group;
IMS Global Learning Consortium;

Participation

To be successful, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group is expected to have 10 or more active participants for its duration, with participation where possible including representation from industry including browser and assistive technology implementers, disability communities, and accessibility research. Effective participation in the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group is expected to consume two to four hours per week for each participant; twice as much per week for chairs and editors. The Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group will allocate also the necessary resources for building Test Suites for each specification.

Communication

The Working Group communicates by regular teleconferences, email, IRC, Web-Based Survey, issue tracker comments, and occasional face to face meetings. At charter time, the group uses the following mailing lists:

public-aria@w3.org: ordinary Working Group discussion and public comments;
wai-xtech@w3.org: Working Group discussions involving a wider audience than the WG membership;
w3c-wai-ig@w3.org: announcements of Working Group activities including publications and key events;
Additional public mailing lists may be set up as needed for task forces.

The Working Group may form task forces, which may conduct work using separate teleconferences, email lists, and other tools. At time of charter, task forces include: Digital Publishing Accessibility Task Force (jointly with the Digital Publishing IG), SVG Accessibility Task Force (jointly with the SVG WG), WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Task Force, and WAI-ARIA User Agent Implementation Task Force.

Details about available communication mechanisms, as well as other information about the group (deliverables, participants, face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, etc.) is available from the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group home page as well as the WAI home page.

This group coordinates with other WAI groups to ensure a common approach to addressing accessibility requirements.

Decision Policy

As explained in the Process Document (section 3.3), this group will seek to make decisions when there is consensus. Consensus may be reached and ascertained in any Working Group forum, but the decision must be ratified by an email or Web-Based Survey Call for Consensus or Call for Objection. Specific procedures to measure consensus are detailed in the {@@URI} ARIA WG Decision Policy. This policy may be updated occasionally as the needs of the group evolve; updates are ratified using the version of the policy then in effect.

When the Chair puts a question and observes dissent, after due consideration of different opinions, the Chair should record a decision (possibly after a formal vote) and any objections, and move on. When the Chair conducts a formal vote to reach a decision on a substantive technical issue, eligible voters may vote on a proposal one of three ways: for a proposal, against a proposal, or abstain. For the proposal to pass there must be more votes for the proposal than against. In case of a tie, the Chair will decide the outcome of the proposal.

This charter is written in accordance with Section 3.4, Votes of the W3C Process Document and includes no voting procedures beyond what the Process Document requires.

The Working Group maintains specific procedures to establish and measure consensus and address objections in the ARIA Working Group Decision Policy.

Patent Policy

This Working Group operates under the W3C Patent Policy (5 February 2004 Version). 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.

For more information about disclosure obligations for this group, please see the W3C Patent Policy Implementation.

About this Charter

This charter for the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group has been created according to section 6.2 of the Process Document. In the event of a conflict between this document or the provisions of any charter and the W3C Process, the W3C Process shall take precedence.

Please also see the previous charter for this group. A @@diff version between this charter and the previous charter is available. Primary changes in this charter:

Added WAI-ARIA 1.1 extension modules.
Added WAI-ARIA 1.1 and Accessibility API Mappings for ARIA and several host languages as normative deliverables.
Split the specification development function from the specification review function in the previous Protocols and Formats Working Group. Specification development is in this group, and specification review is in the Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group. Some Note-track deliverables were moved to the other group.
Added requirements and roadmap for WAI-ARIA 2.0.
Added Web Accessibility API 1.0.
Added User Context Properties.
Moved from Member visibility to Public visibility.

Michael Cooper, ARIA WG Team Contact
Rich Schwerdtfeger, ARIA WG Co- Chair

$Date: 2015/07/01 22:10:15 $