Web and Software: Draft 5
1.2-x Accessible Content (New provision)
- In complying with this subpart, each agency must operate software in a manner such that output from the software that is distributed or archived by the agency is made accessible to people with disabilities.
3-D User Preferences
- Add note: Application software that is is also a platform would need to 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.
3-F Non-text Objects
- Add note: In order to achieve this provision, non text objects in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with textual equivalents that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the non-text object itself. Where a non-text object is a scanned image of text, textual equivalents would need to allow for the inclusion of the text of the scanned image of text. Where a non-text object is a dynamic presentation, graphs, or other derived information from a data source, textual equivalents would need to allow for the inclusion of the data used.
3-G Human Language
- Add note: In order to achieve this provision, text encoded in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with sufficient information to identify both the primary language of the text, and the language of any sections or the text that are in another language from the primary language, that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the text itself.
3-I Pausing
- Change to "A mechanism must be provided to pause moving, blinking, or scrolling information that lasts for more than three seconds unless it is part of an activity where the moving, blinking, or scrolling is essential. A mechanism must be provided to pause auto-updating information, or allow the user to control the frequency of the update, unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential. A mechanism must be provided to either pause, stop, or hide moving or blinking content that is pure decoration."
3-M Reading Sequence
- Change to "When the sequence in which information is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence must be programmatically determinable. The navigation sequence must be consistent with the reading sequence."
- Add note: In order to achieve this provision, objects in data operated on by the software which can be presented in 2 dimensions, would need to be associated with sufficient information to identify a logical one dimensional presentation of the same objects, that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the 2 dimensional objects themselves.
3-N Link Purpose
- Add note: In order to achieve this provision, links encoded in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with link text that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the link itself.
3-O Information and Relationships
- Add note after the first bullet: In order to achieve this provision, table objects in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with sufficient information to identify any row and column headers for the table, that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the table itself.
- Add note after the second bullet: In order to achieve this provision, cells in table objects with multiple logical levels of headers in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with sufficient information to identify any row and column headers for the table cell, that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the table cell itself
3-P User Interface Components
- add a note in rationale of why we used the word "component".
3-S Keyboard Operation
- Change to "Where products have a keyboard or a keyboard interface, all functionality of the product operable through the user interface must be operable through the keyboard, or a keyboard interface. Specific timing for individual keystrokes must not be required. This provision does not apply where the underlying function requires input that depends on the full path of the user's movement, not just the endpoints."
- Keep the two existing notes.
- Add note: Keyboard interface can be either a hardware keyboard interface, a wireless interface or a software keyboard interface where AT can generate keystrokes that would be seen by software."
- Add note: For platform software, this includes the ability to move the keyboard focus into and out of applications.
3-T Focus Indicator
- Change to "Any keyboard operable user interface must have a mode of operation where the indication of keyboard focus has a high degree of visibility. This can be provided by the interface itself or by the interface in combination with focus services provided by the platform."
- Change the first note to "The presence of a highly visible text insertion point can be considered a visual indication of keyboard focus for a text area."
- Change the second note to "A focus cursor that is visually locatable by people (familiar with what the focus cursor would look like) who have 20/20 vision at 3.5 times the typical viewing distance without moving the cursor is sufficient."
- Add note: "Since computer software would be displayed on unknown screen sizes: for computer software a focus cursor that is visually locatable by people (familiar with the cursor) who have 20/20 vision at 2.5 meters when software is displayed on a 38 cm (15 inch) diagonal screen at 1024 x 768 pixels resolution, without moving the cursor is sufficient."
3-U AT Interoperability
- Change: "objects" to "components" as follows:
- "On platforms that support AT interoperability, software that provides user interface components.."
- "the row and column a component is in, and the headers for the row and column for that component.."
- "current value and any minimum or maximum values, if the component represents one of a range of values"
- "relationship this component has as a label for another component, or being labeled by another component"
- "parent or containing element, and any children components"
- "allow assistive technology to track and modify focus, text insertion point, and selection attributes of user interface components;"
- "provide assistive technology with notification of events relevant to user interactions, including but not limited to changes in the component's state(s), value, name, description, or boundary"
- Add note: Software that provides remote access to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) would need to ensure that AT has access to the information required by this provision. There are two known ways to accomplish this: run the AT remotely as well or run the AT locally and provide a mechanism for it to communicate accessibility information with the remote GUI.
- Add note to the end of the bullets after the "provide assistive technology with object information" bullet: In order to achieve this provision, interactive elements encoded in data operated on by the software would need to be associated with sufficient information to determine a role, state(s), name, and description for the interactive element, that the software can obtain as readily as it can obtain the interactive elements itself.
- add a note in rationale of why we used the word "component".
3-V Both Platform and Application
- Remove this provision. Issues have been clarified in other relevant provisions.
3-W Accessibility Services
- Change to "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 platforms must make these services available to their client software."
3-X Advisory Notes
Add these additional provisions
- Parsing: Content implemented using markup languages has elements with complete start and end tags, except as allowed by their specifications, and are nested according to their specifications.
- Labels Descriptive: Headings and labels are descriptive.
- Status: This WCAG 2.0 provision is included in the advisory notes because some on the subcommittee think it is not testable as worded. If the provision could be reworded to be testable, the subcommittee would recommend promoting this to a required provision. An alternative suggestion was proposed but we ran out of time to reach consensus on it. The alternative proposal was "The function of form controls can be determined from the label."
- User Preferences (non-visual): User interfaces which provides a mode of interaction other than visual (such as vocal, aural, gustatory, olfactory, tactile) that can affect human sensory functions, should either provide settings that allow the user to stop and control those functions or a mode that utilizes the platform user settings for control of those functions.
3-xx Multiple Ways (New provision)
- More than one way is available to locate content within a set of Web pages where content is not the result of, or a step in, a process.
3-xx Labels or Instructions (New provision)
- Labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input.
3-xx On Focus (New provision)
- When any component in content or electronic documents receives focus, it does not initiate a change of context.
3-xx On Input (New provision)
- Changing the setting of any user interface component in content or electronic documents does not automatically cause a change of context unless the user has been advised of the behavior before using the component.
3-xx Error Identification (New provision)
- If an input error is automatically detected in content or electronic documents, the item that is in error is identified and described to the user in text.
8.1 If a content format
- Remove this entire section. Issues have been clarified in the relevant provisions.
8.2-B Preserve Accessibility Information
- Replace current "discussion note" with note to Access Board: The phrase "unless the user explicitly indicates otherwise" is necessary so that the author has the ability to override accessibility information that may be incomplete or inadequate.
8.2-C Prompts
- Add note: It is neither expected nor possible that prompts be available for every type of accessible content.
- Add note to Access Board: The committee recommends that advisory techniques be available and linked from this provision, regarding how to provide guidance on effective methods of prompting, as well as techniques to avoid.
8.2-D Evaluation Support
- Remove this provision. Added as an advisory note below.
8.2-E Templates
- Add note to Access Board: This provision may need two further clarifications, which could be in the form of advisory notes, to the effect that (1) this provision should not be applied to formats which are not enabled for accessibility support, and that (2) this provision is not intended to require an accessible template for every template that is packaged with an authoring tool, however neither is it intended to imply that, where there are many different types of templates with unique features, only one accessible template would be provided.
8.2-X Advisory Notes
- Authoring tools with a user interface should either provide a mode which assists authors in checking for accessibility problems, or be compatible with evaluation tools that provide that function.
Definitions
Application Software
Software which runs on and makes use of services provided by platform software. This includes "desktop" software bundled with an operating system, personal productivity applications, development tools, Web browsers, and other non-OS software.
Authoring Tools
Any software intended to create or modify content for publication.
- Note: This is intended to include only tools where the software is able to create or modify content in that format for publication, and the format is enabled to support compliance with the user interface and content provisions.
- Question for EWG: Is "in that format" or "in that format for publication" necessary?
Auto-updating
- Remove this definition. The subcommittee does not think it is needed.
Non-text object
- any object that is not a sequence of characters that can be programmatically determined or where the sequence is not expressing something in human language
- Note: This includes, but is not limited to, ASCII Art (which is a pattern of characters), emoticons, leetspeak (which is character substitution), and images representing text.
Platform software
collection of software components that runs on an underlying software or hardware layer, and that provides a set of software services to applications which allows them to be isolated from the underlying software or hardware layer.
- Note 1: For our purposes, it is those software components/services provided to applications for the creation or manipulation of user interfaces and user input - that impact accessibility - which are of concern for whether something is a platform or not. An application offering a compute service, such as a 3d rendering engine where a requesting application isn't using the software components/services to create a user interface and interact with the user, should not be considered a "platform".
- Note 2: If applications typically connect directly to the underlying layer, rather than relying solely on the platform software components and services, then it is likely that the software components in the middle are not acting as a "platform". For example, a program which hosts plug-in's is not a platform if the plug-in can directly access the underlying layer.
- Note 3: A particular software component may play the role of a platform in some situations and not in others. Platforms can include such things as Internet browsers, operating systems, plug-ins to internet browsers or other software applications, and under some situations, byte-code interpreted virtual environments, and other "programming within another programming" environments.
Web content
- Remove this definition as the term is no longer used.
World Wide Web
- Remove this definition as the term is no longer used.
Status of "Work in Progress" items from status spreadsheet
- Additional WCAG 2.0 provisions - Done - provisions and advisory note added
- Immersive virtual environments - No further progress
- Access to remote systems - Done - note added to existing provision
- Review for applicability to non-PC platforms - In progress with economic assessment
- Authoring tools for A/V - No progress
- Definition of non-text content - Done
