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Re: Proof of compliance?

for

From: John Foliot
Date: Dec 13, 2017 8:39AM

Hi Duff,

> For whatever reason (perhaps someone more involved can comment?) the
draft of WCAG 2.1 also fails to specify a machine-readable means of
claiming conformance...


You've answered your own question: due to the non-static nature of web
content today, it's kind of hard to have a static, machine-readable
"conformance claim" that would always be accurate. And while a 'dynamic'
claim could certainly be crafted using things like mechanical testing tools
and change-log parsing, the value of a claim such as that would likely also
be diminished from a "legal-defensiveness" position, which is often the
root of these types of claims and requirements, due to its malleability
​ and ever-changing reporting values​
.

That said, a machine-*referenceable* conformance claim could be addressed
using metadata (perhaps something like Schema.org's "Claim Review" -
http://schema.org/ClaimReview), but the conformance claim would still be
based upon a "snapshot" and date of review. This is not unlike a CPA's
stamp, where the Chartered Accountant claims that what was reviewed on a
specific date met the claim's assertions, but beyond that date, all bets
are off.

​Or were you thinking of something different?

JF​



On Wed, Dec 13, 2017 at 8:55 AM, Duff Johnson < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> Hi Karin,
>
> What would a "proof" of compliance even mean? Web content isn't static…
if the site managers change the site's CSS, for example, it could trash
accessibility across the site, irrespective of any previously-issued
"proof".
>
> The nearest WCAG 2.0 comes to this concept is the notion of a
"conformance claim" which is (very unfortunately) NOT defined in
machine-readable terms (unlike PDF/UA). See:
>
> https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#conformance-claims
>
> For whatever reason (perhaps someone more involved can comment?) the
draft of WCAG 2.1 also fails to specify a machine-readable means of
claiming conformance...
>
> Duff.
>
>
> > On Dec 13, 2017, at 02:06, Karin Carlson < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:
> >
> > Hi everyone. Is there a certification or official designation when a
site or product passes testing? Im looking for something official/formal
for compliance to WCAG 2 level AA.
> > Thanks
> > Karin
> >
> >
> > Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > --
John Foliot
Principal Accessibility Strategist
Deque Systems Inc.
<EMAIL REMOVED>

Advancing the mission of digital accessibility and inclusion