Thread Subject: Re: Harmonization - "Both platform and application"

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From: Peter Korn
Date: Fri, Sep 21 2007 1:10 PM

Hi Andi,

These are good suggestions, helping us toward an important goal.

I'm still a bit uncomfortable loosing the text of #3, most especially
the first bullet: "provide mechanisms for: * moving the keyboard focus
into and out of an application". I wonder if there is some way to
capture this, perhaps as a note or otherwise in advisory material (e.g.
external to the draft regulations, but on the Access Board website as
expository, explanatory information)? I think that folks making
browsers & browser plug-ins are missing the fact that this requirement
applies to them as well.


Regards,

Peter Korn
Accessibility Architect,
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

> I have an action item to try to resolve our harmonization issues with the
> "Both platform and application" provision which is not in either the ISO
> software accessibility standard or WCAG 2.0.
>
> Here's the current provision:
>
> Software that is both a 'platform', and an 'application' running on another
> platform must:
>
> 1. expose the underlying platform's color, contrast, and other
> individual display settings to applications running within its platform, so
> that these applications can meet the User Preferences provision.
> 2. define, expose, and translate accessibility service information
> between applications running within its platform and the underlying
> platform - so that those applications can meet the AT Interoperability
> provision.
> 3. provide mechanisms for:
> * moving the keyboard focus into and out of an application, and
> * addressing central conflicts between keyboard mnemonics in the
> application and the host platform.
>
> I think we can resolve it by moving bullet #1 to "User Preferences" as a
> note, removing bullet #2 and adding a sentence to "Accessibility Services",
> and deleting bullet #3 as most of it is covered by "Keyboard Operation".
> Details below:
>
> Add a note to User Preferences
>
> Current: Applications must provide a mode that utilizes platform settings
> for color, contrast, font type, font size, and focus cursor. In the absence
> of platform settings for color and contrast, the content must have a
> contrast ratio of at least 5:1 except for unavailable items or pure
> decoration. Large scale text (or images of large scale text) must allow a
> contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
>
> Add note: Application software that is is also a platform must expose the
> underlying platform's color, contrast, and other individual display
> settings to applications running within its platform, so that these
> applications can meet the User Preferences provision.
>
> Add a sentence to the Accessibility Services provision:
>
> Proposed (add 2nd sentence based on the latest ISO draft): Platform
> software must provide access to a set of services that enable applications
> running on the platform to interact with other assistive technology
> sufficient to enable compliance with the "AT interoperability" and "User
> Interface Components" provisions. If accessibility services are provided by
> the platform on which they are run, software toolkits and applications that
> are also platfomrs must make these services available to their client
> software.
>
> With regard to bullet #3, a platform fails the Keyboard Operation provision
> if it does not provide a way to navigate in and out of applications via the
> keyboard. The last part of bullet #3, about resolving keyboard mnemonic
> conflicts, would be a unique US requirement. I believe it should be
> removed. It is generally considered an application responsibility to avoid
> conflicts with platform keyboard mnemonics.
>
> Comments?
>
> Andi
>
>

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