WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: WebAIM-Forum Digest, Vol 125, Issue 19

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From: Katie Haritos-Shea
Date: Aug 21, 2015 9:24AM

"Our responsibility is to create standards that equip designers and
developers with the best possible information..."

Leonie, is this written somewhere in W3C requiring documentation? "best
possible information" would be correct - but then, that this standards body
creates specs solely for the use of those two roles (designers and
developers)?

Having worked in standards bodies (ISO, ANSI/INCITS, W3C) developing
standards and then having the responsibility of implementing those
standards - I would be very surprised to learn that this is the case at the
W3C.

Perhaps it is this misconception of the audiences for technical standards
that is the root disconnect that causes such pain in the WAI charters.

Suggesting that web standards are only going to be used by those two roles
is akin to suggesting that electrical standards are only applicable to
those that connect the wires in the building - and not additionally for
city planners, architects, general contractors, inspectors, supply
vendors, etc.

That would help explain, at least in part, some of the unpleasantness and
vehemence I see in the AC forum concerning WAI work.

Katie
On Aug 20, 2015 3:49 PM, "Léonie Watson" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> > From: Laura Carlson [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> > Sent: 20 August 2015 19:35
> > One thing to remember is that nothing is stopping entities, including
> legal
> > entities from mandating WCAG 2.0 plus an extensions as soon as said
> > extension is available.
>
> Good point. That could happen of course. In the scheme of things I'm not
> too worried about legislation though. I am worried that if these extensions
> are optional, it sends out the message that accessibility for those user
> groups is optional.
>
> >
> > You will note that in section 3.2 "Dependencies & Liaisons" of the draft
> > charter the following groups are listed:
> >
> > * U.S. Access Board
> > * European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
> > * European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
> > * European Commission
> > * RERC for the Advancement of Cognitive Technologies
> > * RERC on Universal Interface and Information Technology Access
> >
>
> I think that W3C should leave the matter of law and policy to the entities
> responsible for those things. Our responsibility is to create standards
> that equip designers and developers with the best possible information, not
> to harmonise those standards into legislation.
>
> > From what I have gathered going the extension route is expected to be
> > faster than a WCAG 2.1 or 3.0.
>
> I think that is the assumption, yes. I don't think it needs to be the case
> though.
>
> Léonie.
>
>
> --
> Senior accessibility engineer @PacielloGroup @LeonieWatson
>
>
>
> > > > >