Thread Subject: Viewpoint Opinion: 3-SS Visual Indication of Keyboard Shortcuts

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From: Judy Brewer
Date: Thu, Mar 27 2008 10:15 PM

Viewpoint Opinion: 3-SS Visual Indication of Keyboard Shortcuts

Reference:
<http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:OpenProvisions_March_12#3-SS_-_Visual_Indication_of_Keyboard_Shortcuts>

Because of time constraints in the final TEITAC meeting, the
following simplification could not be discussed, though it had been
proposed on the mailing list in advance and no opposing comments had
been received. The proposed simplification was to remove the second
part of the provision, as that aspect of user need is addressed more
directly through the provisions under 3-U-AT Interoperability. The
simplification would result in "All keyboard commands associated
directly with user interface controls must be visible within the
visual user interface in at least one mode."

However, even with this simplification, the remaining aspect of the
provision still needed further discussion and development beyond the
time available through the TEITAC process. Individual conversations
with developers across most platforms appear to have resulted during
the final weeks of TEITAC process in acknowledgment that there was a
valid user need here for people with limited use of their hands who
need visual indication of keyboard shortcuts without relying on
pointing devices or extended sequential navigation to discover such
shortcuts. But the variability of terminology for different forms of
keyboard interaction, coupled with the varied feasibility of
supporting visual indication of keyboard shortcuts, commands,
navigation options, etc., means that the provision must be very
clearly and carefully stated. In addition, since this user need had
not been recognized at the appropriate level by ISO nor by W3C/WAI's
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, there was a concern about
lack of harmonization if it became a requirement under Sec 508.

This issue has been taken up for further exploration through the
development of W3C/WAI's User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and
several developers and user representatives have committed to
refining an appropriate and feasible cross-platform requirement to
meet this user need. W3C/WAI would like to offer such language to the
Access Board as a suggested approach for meeting this need, at such
time as we have been able to develop that language. This would also
provide an avenue for addressing harmonization concerns that were
raised regarding this user need.

Regards,

- Judy

--
Judy Brewer +1.617.258.9741 http://www.w3.org/WAI
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
MIT/CSAIL Building 32-G526
32 Vassar Street
Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

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