Authoring Tools Proposal 2

Editing Authoring Tools Proposal 2

• Any software or collection of software components used by people to create or modify content, including but not limited to Web content authoring tools, multimedia editing tools, word processors, and content management systems, shall:
• allow the author to utilize all accessibility features defined by the content format
• avoid deleting or altering any accessibility attributes that exist in the content with the following definitions: content: any information that is encountered as part of a user experience including but not limited to text, images, sounds, videos and animations content format: an encoding mechanism for storing information. Examples are HTML, JPEG, SMIL, PDF, others?

Summary of discussion on Authoring Tools Proposal 2

• Recommendation to have more pro-active language than "allow".
  • It's not just the "accessibility features" that must be "utilized", it's all features.
  • We must avoid the possibility of NotePad level "accessibility features." If the tool does have an "assessment feature" it must be accessible and self-validating.
• Recommendation to add something to address a collection of tools such as, "A collection of tools needs to be able to preserve existing, and insert all the necessary information in the appropriate places in the final published output - which may be a collection of content formats."
• Recommendation to say "authoring tools shall provide the functionality to the user to access and manipulate the accessibility attributes supported in the format being used."
• Content encapsulation into other formats can be a real problem, but at least if the components have the accessibility, an encapsulation container can pass those through from the source.
• The tricky part is twofold:
  • First, in procuring an authoring tool, it is important to understand which elements of the content can be made accessible.
  • Secondly, it must be explained clearly in the supplied documentation specifically how accessibility can be achieved for the elements in the content using the authoring tool.
• Recommendation that there needs to be 3 parts:
  • The capability of the tool to deliver accessible content... tables, images, form fields, buttons, links, etc.
  • it must be explained clearly in the supplied documentation specifically how accessibility can be achieved for the elements in the content using the authoring tool. Concern on creating a valid/testable provision. Believed to be covered by Documentation sub-committee.
  • The tool itself must be accessible, is covered elsewhere, software and possibly Web.
• Recommendation to focus on the deliverable rather than the tool, "If an agency produces or intends to produce a specific content format, then they shall procure tools that can access and manipulate all the accessibility features of that content format".
• Accessibility features for a format would be documented in the product accessibility template for a format, e.g. Microsoft Word .doc, for example, and then again in the answer to the question in the product accessibility template for the tool itself. for tools that support multiple formats, a method of representing the features made available for those formats might be tricky of course.
• Input from Katie on authoring tool features from ATAG [1] that would facilitate the creation of accessible content:
  • User prompts for accessible alternatives
  • User prompts for accessible document/content types (on save?)]
  • Providing a myraid of accessible-only CSS (XSLT, or whatever) pre-authored (pre-loaded) stylesheets for authors to be prompted to choose from.
  • Providing a myraid of accessible-only tables, frames, skip navs, etc. for authors to be prompted to choose from (when choosing to include those items) in their content.
• Allen rephrased concepts, and notes that maybe we can fill in what I he is missing.
  • Authoring tools (or interoperable components) shall provide the capacity to programmatically prompt authors for alternative accessible attributes of content elements including tables, form fields, graphics,etc.
  • When authoring tools or interoperable components provide content templates, fully accessible selections shall be available for authors use.
  • Authoring tools or interoperable components shall identify formats which meet minimum accessibility format requirements when such format selections are available to the end-user during file selection or save file format selections.