Thread Subject: Re: General Issues: Browser Requirements

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From: Sean Hayes
Date: Wed, Jan 10 2007 10:10 AM

It seems to me it is the reponsibility of the platform to live up to the requirements, whether it chooses to do so by defering to the underlying platform, or by implementing it itself might seem to be an implementation decision.

Having said that however since such a platform is also client software, the ISO provision 8.6.3 Use standard accessibility services states "Software that provides user interface elements shall use the accessibility services provided by the system to cooperate with assistive technologies".

Which would (unless I am reading it wrongly) tend to suggest that a JavaAT, or Firevox approach would be incorrect if it interfaced directly with AT and did not in turn use the underlying platform capability to do so?

Sean Hayes
Standards and Policy Team
Accessible Technology Group
Microsoft
Phone:
mob +44 7977 455002
office +44 117 9719730

-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Peter Korn
Sent: 10 January 2007 16:35
To: TEITAC Web/Software Subcommittee
Subject: Re: [teitac-websoftware] General Issues: Browser Requirements

Hi Sean,

> Browsers, Players, and Virtual machines are all special cases of platform software like the OS and probably should be subject to similar rules. I'd be unhappy to single out just browsers (assuming we could even adequately define browser).
>

I agree with this completely. Browsers, Flash, Java runtime - they are
all examples of a platform, and accessibility requirements for
"platforms" should apply to them. The only distinction I would make is
whether the AT resides at that platform layer or not. Most AT resides
at the OS "platform" (though there has been work on Java AT [IBM] and
Browser AT [variety of folks]). When the AT resides at a different
platform, then additional work is needed - e.g. when it is JAWS on
Windows, the browser has to do work to convey HTML information out to
Windows; when it is the Firevox speech extension to Firefox, the
information need not be conveyed out to Windows because the AT resides
inside the browser platform.


Regards,

Peter Korn
Accessibility Architect,
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> Sean Hayes
> Standards and Policy Team
> Accessible Technology Group
> Microsoft
> Phone:
> mob +44 7977 455002
> office +44 117 9719730
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Andi Snow-Weaver
> Sent: 09 January 2007 22:13
> To: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> Subject: [teitac-websoftware] General Issues: Browser Requirements
>
>
> Some have suggested that we might want to impose some requirements on
> browser. For example, if browsers provided more keyboard support, ATs
> wouldn't have to and users who don't use AT would benefit.
>
> Thoughts on this topic?
>
> Andi
>
>

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