Web and Software: Accessibility API Requirements Draft 3
Contents |
Updated April 10, 2007 as follows:
- 21 (d) provison reworded slightly but no change in meaning
- 21 (d) further examples enumerated under the object information and events bullets
- 21 (d) bullet on using platform standard input and output mechanisms removed from the proposal for the moment BUT the API Requirements sub-team is still working on a proposal to address this requirement.
Updated April 11, 2007 as follows:
- 21 (d) added bullet on text contents and attributes that was inadvertently dropped in the last update
Introduction
This proposal is the result of a sub-group of the TEITAC Web and Software subcommittee consisting of IT and AT industry representatives and the subcommittee co-chairs. The objective of the proposal is to improve the Section 508 standards in the area of AT-IT interoperability and to harmonize the requirements with the new ISO and ANSI standards on software accessibility. This proposal recommends modifications to 1194.21 (c), (d), and (f).
1194.21 (c)
Current wording: A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that assistive technology can track focus and focus changes.
Recommendation: Software shall provide a visual indication of which user interface object currently has the keyboard focus. If the object is a text entry field, a visual indication of the text insertion point shall be provided, and is sufficient.
- Note that programmatic exposure of keyboard focus is included in the recommendation for 1194.21 (d).
1194.21 (d)
Current wording: Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity, operation and state of the element shall be available to assistive technology. When an image represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text.
Recommendation: Software that provides user interface objects shall either use the accessibility services provided by platform software or other services to cooperate with assistive technologies when such services allow the software to meet the accessibility provisions of this standard. Using such services, software shall:
- provide assistive technology with object information including but not limited to:
- role, state(s), boundary, name, and description
- any table row & column, and row & column headers (if the object is in a table)
- current value and any minimum or maximum (if the object represents one of a range of values)
- relationship this object has as a label for another, or being labelled by another
- parent or containing element, and any children objects
- text contents, text attributes, and the boundary of text rendered to the screen
- provide assistive technology with a list of actions that can be executed on an object and allow assistive technology to programmatically execute any of those actions;
- allow assistive technology to track and modify focus, text insertion point, and selection attributes of user interface objects;
- provide assistive technology with notification of events relevant to user interactions, including but not limited to changes in the object's state(s), value, name, description, or boundary
1194.21 (f)
Current wording: Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location, and text attributes.
Recommendation: Delete this requirement as the text content, attributes and location of the text insertion caret are covered in the recommendation for 21 (d).
