27087 2014-10-16 15:55:47 +0000 Language about AT accessing the DOM directly should be deprecated 2016-04-11 20:47:40 +0000 1 1 1 Unclassified HTML WG HTML a11y APIs (editor: Steve Faulkner, Cynthia Shelly) unspecified PC All RESOLVED INVALID P2 normal --- 1 dmazzoni faulkner.steve jdiggs lwatson mike public-html-admin public-html-bugzilla public-html-wg-issue-tracking surkov.alexander sideshowbarker+html-a11y-api oldest_to_newest 113324 0 dmazzoni 2014-10-16 15:55:47 +0000 The spec reads: "For traditional static Web pages, assistive technologies, such as screen readers, interact with user agents using the DOM. For UI elements that are known to be interactive, such as HTML form elements and desktop applications, assistive technologies may use platform accessibility APIs." This language is out of date and should be deprecated. As is clear from other bugs, simply reading the DOM is not sufficient, even for a static web page with no interactive content. That misses out on CSS generated content, and other rendering changes affected by CSS, for example. The spec should mandate that user agents provide full access to an accessibility tree that contains an accessible representation of all content actually displayed and rendered. 113334 1 jdiggs 2014-10-16 16:41:32 +0000 FWIW, for ATK/AT-SPI2-based assistive technologies, all access is provided through the platform's accessibility APIs. Even for static web pages with no CSS whatsoever. The DOM is never used. 113339 2 surkov.alexander 2014-10-16 16:56:38 +0000 I wouldn't restrict the assistive technologies developer in ways to operate the web content. I'm aware of at least one recent project preferring to work with DOM over high level a11y API. I'd say if they want to go their own way then we shouldn't make them out of law. On the another hand we don't have cross browser web accessibility API so any a11y web app (like ChromeVox?) has to deal with DOM this or that way. I agree the spec wording should be updated but direct DOM access shouldn't be deprecated or denied (we may state though it's not recommended). 125809 3 lwatson 2016-04-11 20:47:40 +0000 Cannot locate the passage in question in the current HTML5.1 spec. Suspect this bug has been superceded by time. If this is incorrect, please file an issue against the 5.1 spec: http://github.com/w3c/html/issues/