Introduction

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG)

Currently developing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

Presenters:

• Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe, AG WG co-chair
• Joshue O Connor, InterAccess, AG WG co-chair
• Michael Cooper, W3C, AG WG staff contact

WCAG 2.1 Leadership

• Jim Allan, Low Vision Accessibility Task Force co-facilitator
• Alastair Campbell, AG WG co-chair
• Michael Cooper, AG WG W3C Staff Contact
• Andrew Kirkpatrick, AG WG co-chair
• Joshue O Connor, AG WG co-chair
• Kim Patch, Mobile Accessibility Task Force co-facilitator
• Lisa Seeman-Kestenbaum, Cognitive Accessibility Task Force facilitator
• Kathy Wahlbin, Mobile Accessibility Task Force co-facilitator

From WCAG 2.0 to WCAG 2.1

• WCAG 2.0 finalized December 2008
• Designed to be technology-agnostic and therefore future-proofed
• Major focus of international web accessibility guideline harmonization
• Stability of the guidance important for many years

Emergence of New Needs

• Over the years:
  • Certain technologies have become more important
  • Technology features now exist to support some user needs
  • Appropriate guidance for users is now better understood
• Therefore need for guidelines that build on WCAG 2.0
• Initially WCAG 2.0 extensions were proposed
• Focus shifted to a dot-release to harmonize conformance model

Success Criterion Development Process

• Task Forces developed proposals for:
  • Users with cognitive or learning disabilities: w3.org/WAI/PF/cognitive-a11y-tf
  • Users with low vision: w3.org/WAI/GL/low-vision-a11y-tf
  • Small- and touch-screen mobile devices: w3.org/WAI/GL/mobile-a11y-tf
• Success Criteria requirements: w3.org/WAI/GL/wiki/WCAG_2.1_Success_Criteria

Refinement of Success Criteria

• Approximately 60 proposals submitted December 2016
• AG reviewed proposals and refined, combined, or deferred
• Public comments on these proposals helped shape and prioritize efforts
• Ultimately 17 new Success Criteria were added

Structure and Backwards Compatibility

• Success criteria inherited from WCAG 2.0 not changed
• New success criteria add to the 2.0 requirements
• Success criteria from 2.0 not renumbered, new ones added at end of set for each guideline

Current Status of WCAG 2.1

• Several public Working Drafts published over the past year
• Approximately 600 comments filed over this period
• "Candidate Recommendation" published 30 January 2018 w3.org/TR/WCAG21
• Content considered final, undergoing implementability testing

Content in WCAG 2.1

• Address some needs of each user group
• Not all potential guidance could be included in this version
  • To produce final result while still relevant, had a fast timeline
  • Substantial set of requirements for candidate success criteria
• Many proposals were combined or distilled into more basic versions
• Starting point, not ending point, for continued evolution of accessibility guidelines

Support Resources

• "Understanding" content fairly well developed for each new success criterion: w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding
• Techniques under way but not yet published
• "How to meet" or "Quick reference" being updated to filter by guidelines version
• "Supplemental guidance" to provide additional advice beyond the formal requirements planned

Next Steps on WCAG 2.1

The Working Group plans to:

• Complete implementation testing by end of this month
• Publish "Proposed Recommendation" in April to measure acceptance from W3C Members
• Publish final Recommendation in June 2018

These are ambitious targets and are not guaranteed

Beyond WCAG 2.1

• WCAG 2.1 is a first update since WCAG 2.0
• Active work also under way on a more substantial update from WCAG 2, for now called "Silver" w3.org/WAI/GL/task-forces/silver
• An additional version between 2.1 and "Silver" might happen, depending on emerging timelines and ongoing user needs, but this has not yet been decided

Ways to Contribute

• File issues in GitHub: github.com/w3c/wcag21/issues/new
• Send email: public-agwg-comments@w3.org
• Participate in the Working Group: w3.org/WAI/GL/participation
• Participate in a task force: w3.org/WAI/GL/task-forces