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From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Wed, May 04 2016 5:32PM
Subject: Browsers handling more widgets nativelyUsingtitle attribute on non-anchor elements?
No previous message | Next message →

> I personally think of "role=" as a interim state and not a good way to specify components. Just as role="Navigation" can be handled with a Nav tag,

I'd generally agree that many interactions cannot be defined for a single role and a pattern module such as that used by UIAutomation or AccessibilityTraits in iOS is one way to address this. For example, we could end up with a situation where tabs also have checkboxes and we would want a tab role with a checkbox pattern or something like that to be communicated and understand by AT. Some patterns could arguably be confusing to the user however, so it might be worth considering before implementing such a thing.

Jonathan

Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
SSB BART Group 
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
703.637.8957 (Office)

Visit us online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin | Blog
Check out our Digital Accessibility Webinars!

From: Sharron Rush
Date: Thu, May 05 2016 3:56PM
Subject: Re: Browsers handling more widgets nativelyUsing title attribute on non-anchor elements?
← Previous message | Next message →

Dear Brooks,

Your observations are spot on and should be widely distributed. I may
disagree with you to some extent about the responsibility of the W3C
however. It seems to me that it is not only the regulatory bodies but the
W3C itself that has let slip the importance and interdependence of
consistent accessibility support in operating systems, user agents, and
assistive technologies. After all, the W3C is not just any "voluntary
agency." It is *the* standards making body for the web and if they do not
emphasize the interdependence, who can the regulatory bodies look to for
guidance? I see great opportunity for the work that has been done on UAAG
and ATAG to be brought to the attention of the legislators and regulatory
bodies with greater urgency and emphasis.

Thank you for the prompt to raise these issues in the coming weeks as part
of the ADA SANPRM public comment process. Much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Sharron
--
Sharron Rush | Executive Director | Knowbility.org | @knowbility
*Equal access to technology for people with disabilities*

On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 1:00 PM, you wrote
>
>
> Hi Chaals,
>
> Thank you for taking the time to address my response to Deborah's comment
> about her desire for browsers to natively handle some of the WAI-ARIA
> functions. I know most folks on this thread just check in to find answers
> on "in the weeds" issues like, what browser supports this or what attribute
> works best for that. However, I think from time to time it's good to raise
> our heads up out of the weeds and take a gander at some of the bigger
> questions on the horizon that drive our industry. So thanks for engaging
> me and the others on this broader topic.
>
> Quick note about my background: I've been a professional in the Web
> business since 1998, having served worked in the U.S. in public schools,
> state agencies, private business (Web design agency owner for a dozen
> years), plus I've worked as the accessibility lead at what was the fourth
> largest company in the world, as well as having served as principal
> accessibility consultant for one of the big agencies in the U.S. and have
> served as a consultant for several other a11y agencies you likely interact
> with on a daily basis in your committee work. I also make a pretty good
> pan of baklava. You can ask Birkir about that.
>
> Believe you me, I have a distinct understanding of the complexities
> involved with getting accessibility to work well for people of all
> abilities. You can also ask Birkir about that, as well. I certainly don't
> have as a clear of an understanding as you have, but enough to be
> conversant in this context. I have significant experience transferring
> theoretical accessibility knowledge to real people who need real solutions
> to do their work accessibly in the digital trenches as web/software
> production team members. That's why I'm shocked that so much emphasis has
> been placed on site owners and their designers and developers to get
> accessibility right on their own, without the strongly regulated support
> from the operating system, user agent, and assistive technology
> manufacturing industry. Granted, I'm no lawyer. However, I've studied
> U.S. accessibility regulatory law - and let me tell you, there is a glaring
> absence of guidance for the software industry, when compared to the burdens
> that have been unloaded on site/app owners in this country.
>
> I'm sure you have done so, but for others on this thread, take a look at
> the provisions of the laws that exist in the U.S. and across the globe that
> govern web accessibility. U.S. laws or laws-in-progress, such as the Twenty
> First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the
> Section 508 refresh, and the ADA refresh go out of their way to exclude
> from obligations the three types of software manufacturers that have such
> as strong bearing on the ultimate accessibility of web/app based digital
> content. I'm not guessing about this just to have something to say or
> posturing for Internet karma. I've been on the hook to figure this out for
> some of the largest organizations on earth. And let me tell you, it is a
> darn impossible task to achieve accessibility without strong support from
> the software technology that we all depend on to get web and app data from
> the ether into our brains. Any others on this thread who feel the same
> way? Let your voices be heard as a follow-up on this thread. Better yet,
> let the U.S. Department of Justice know how evolving accessibility law
> should be handled by directly responding to the call of comments that will
> soon be forthcoming as part of the new ADA SANPRM.
>
> I've personally trained thousands (no exaggeration) of web site
> developers, writers, designers, information architects, rich media
> developers, business owners, quality assurance / user acceptance testers
> and c-suite executives on the ins and outs of digital accessibility. I
> have also personally consulted with dozens of the world's biggest companies
> on how to make their digital content more accessible. I've watched this
> industry mutate into its current state, which frankly, seems farther from
> the goal of universal access than it was 10 years ago. The answers being
> offered by those "in the know" for questions that arise out of frustration
> at how to make complicated digital interfaces accessible are increasingly
> technically obfuscated solutions that invariably involve lopping more
> responsibilities onto the site / app owners plate. Is that really the
> right direction? Look man, if we can't get site owners to write decent alt
> text, how are we going to get them to custom script complex interaction
> patterns, state switching, focus management, etc. for a bevy of JS-powered
> widgets they thought were plug and play ready to go? As they say in the
> U.S. South, I think I'm preaching to the choir here...not much need for
> additional persuasion on this point. These site owners need some help from
> software manufacturers in making standard and automatic many of accessible
> accommodations that are required to make rich Internet applications
> accessible.
>
> Chaals, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work you and others
> have completed, in terms of evolving markup, defining standards and serving
> up resources to help folks make their content accessible. No complaints,
> only praise for that work. I am, however, deeply frustrated at how much of
> a gap exists between theoretical accessibility and actual accessibility.
> And, I think the majority of where that gap lies now has a lot to do with
> the fact that too much is being asked of site / app owners and their design
> and development teams, and not enough is being asked of the software
> manufacturers.
>
> I don't think the W3C WAI or other voluntary standards bodies have left
> software manufacturers out of the mix. I never said that. What I said is
> that legislators, regulators and some industry thought leaders have left
> them out of the mix. In my opinion, we will never see a groundswell of
> support for digital equality unless all of the relevant forces at play are
> required by law to do their respective parts. Software provided by OS/UA/AT
> manufacturers is very relevant to digital accessibility. It must be
> regulated to harmonize the efforts we are demanding of digital content
> owners.
>
> So, as Sarah kindly pointed out in her post yesterday, we are going to get
> another chance to chime on how U.S. digital accessibility law gets shaped
> as part of the new Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
> (SANPRM) that has just been issued by the United States Department of
> Justice.
>
> http://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html
>
> This supplemental piece to the ADA relates to government agency
> obligations. This is particularly interesting, in terms of how we the
> people might be able to get our government to commit to holding software
> manufacturers to a high standard modern accessibility support. Let's speak
> up on this and other issues critical to driving universal access of digital
> content. We've got a chance to do this in the coming weeks as part of the
> ADA SANPRM public comment process.
>
> Over and Out,
>
> Brooks Newton
>
>

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Fri, May 13 2016 5:41PM
Subject: Re: Browsers handling more widgets nativelyUsing title attribute on non-anchor elements?
← Previous message | Next message →

I can attest to the fact that Brooks makes downright unreal pan o baklava.
In my 6 months or so of working with him I can also say that the man
appears to possess a brain cell or 3, and know what he is talking
about. *grin*
Seriously, accessibility is a process that involves various players,
and we need more conversation, training, development and solutions
floating down the chain.
We can't put it all on the website developer (which includes actual
developers, content developers etc.).
Me and my buddy CB Averitt did a presentation on this at CSUN
http://whoseline.a11yideas.com
I am working on taking the feedback from surveys, the examples and
adding a personal thought or 3, as many as I can muster, to create a
blog or a series of blogs about accessibility and the various players
involved.
This discussion serves as a great background and feeds in to my
thought process behind the writing.




On 5/5/16, Sharron Rush < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Dear Brooks,
>
> Your observations are spot on and should be widely distributed. I may
> disagree with you to some extent about the responsibility of the W3C
> however. It seems to me that it is not only the regulatory bodies but the
> W3C itself that has let slip the importance and interdependence of
> consistent accessibility support in operating systems, user agents, and
> assistive technologies. After all, the W3C is not just any "voluntary
> agency." It is *the* standards making body for the web and if they do not
> emphasize the interdependence, who can the regulatory bodies look to for
> guidance? I see great opportunity for the work that has been done on UAAG
> and ATAG to be brought to the attention of the legislators and regulatory
> bodies with greater urgency and emphasis.
>
> Thank you for the prompt to raise these issues in the coming weeks as part
> of the ADA SANPRM public comment process. Much appreciated.
>
> Sincerely,
> Sharron
> --
> Sharron Rush | Executive Director | Knowbility.org | @knowbility
> *Equal access to technology for people with disabilities*
>
> On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 1:00 PM, you wrote
>>
>>
>> Hi Chaals,
>>
>> Thank you for taking the time to address my response to Deborah's comment
>> about her desire for browsers to natively handle some of the WAI-ARIA
>> functions. I know most folks on this thread just check in to find answers
>> on "in the weeds" issues like, what browser supports this or what
>> attribute
>> works best for that. However, I think from time to time it's good to
>> raise
>> our heads up out of the weeds and take a gander at some of the bigger
>> questions on the horizon that drive our industry. So thanks for engaging
>> me and the others on this broader topic.
>>
>> Quick note about my background: I've been a professional in the Web
>> business since 1998, having served worked in the U.S. in public schools,
>> state agencies, private business (Web design agency owner for a dozen
>> years), plus I've worked as the accessibility lead at what was the fourth
>> largest company in the world, as well as having served as principal
>> accessibility consultant for one of the big agencies in the U.S. and have
>> served as a consultant for several other a11y agencies you likely interact
>> with on a daily basis in your committee work. I also make a pretty good
>> pan of baklava. You can ask Birkir about that.
>>
>> Believe you me, I have a distinct understanding of the complexities
>> involved with getting accessibility to work well for people of all
>> abilities. You can also ask Birkir about that, as well. I certainly don't
>> have as a clear of an understanding as you have, but enough to be
>> conversant in this context. I have significant experience transferring
>> theoretical accessibility knowledge to real people who need real solutions
>> to do their work accessibly in the digital trenches as web/software
>> production team members. That's why I'm shocked that so much emphasis has
>> been placed on site owners and their designers and developers to get
>> accessibility right on their own, without the strongly regulated support
>> from the operating system, user agent, and assistive technology
>> manufacturing industry. Granted, I'm no lawyer. However, I've studied
>> U.S. accessibility regulatory law - and let me tell you, there is a
>> glaring
>> absence of guidance for the software industry, when compared to the
>> burdens
>> that have been unloaded on site/app owners in this country.
>>
>> I'm sure you have done so, but for others on this thread, take a look at
>> the provisions of the laws that exist in the U.S. and across the globe
>> that
>> govern web accessibility. U.S. laws or laws-in-progress, such as the
>> Twenty
>> First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the
>> Section 508 refresh, and the ADA refresh go out of their way to exclude
>> from obligations the three types of software manufacturers that have such
>> as strong bearing on the ultimate accessibility of web/app based digital
>> content. I'm not guessing about this just to have something to say or
>> posturing for Internet karma. I've been on the hook to figure this out
>> for
>> some of the largest organizations on earth. And let me tell you, it is a
>> darn impossible task to achieve accessibility without strong support from
>> the software technology that we all depend on to get web and app data from
>> the ether into our brains. Any others on this thread who feel the same
>> way? Let your voices be heard as a follow-up on this thread. Better yet,
>> let the U.S. Department of Justice know how evolving accessibility law
>> should be handled by directly responding to the call of comments that will
>> soon be forthcoming as part of the new ADA SANPRM.
>>
>> I've personally trained thousands (no exaggeration) of web site
>> developers, writers, designers, information architects, rich media
>> developers, business owners, quality assurance / user acceptance testers
>> and c-suite executives on the ins and outs of digital accessibility. I
>> have also personally consulted with dozens of the world's biggest
>> companies
>> on how to make their digital content more accessible. I've watched this
>> industry mutate into its current state, which frankly, seems farther from
>> the goal of universal access than it was 10 years ago. The answers being
>> offered by those "in the know" for questions that arise out of frustration
>> at how to make complicated digital interfaces accessible are increasingly
>> technically obfuscated solutions that invariably involve lopping more
>> responsibilities onto the site / app owners plate. Is that really the
>> right direction? Look man, if we can't get site owners to write decent alt
>> text, how are we going to get them to custom script complex interaction
>> patterns, state switching, focus management, etc. for a bevy of JS-powered
>> widgets they thought were plug and play ready to go? As they say in the
>> U.S. South, I think I'm preaching to the choir here...not much need for
>> additional persuasion on this point. These site owners need some help
>> from
>> software manufacturers in making standard and automatic many of accessible
>> accommodations that are required to make rich Internet applications
>> accessible.
>>
>> Chaals, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work you and others
>> have completed, in terms of evolving markup, defining standards and
>> serving
>> up resources to help folks make their content accessible. No complaints,
>> only praise for that work. I am, however, deeply frustrated at how much
>> of
>> a gap exists between theoretical accessibility and actual accessibility.
>> And, I think the majority of where that gap lies now has a lot to do with
>> the fact that too much is being asked of site / app owners and their
>> design
>> and development teams, and not enough is being asked of the software
>> manufacturers.
>>
>> I don't think the W3C WAI or other voluntary standards bodies have left
>> software manufacturers out of the mix. I never said that. What I said is
>> that legislators, regulators and some industry thought leaders have left
>> them out of the mix. In my opinion, we will never see a groundswell of
>> support for digital equality unless all of the relevant forces at play are
>> required by law to do their respective parts. Software provided by
>> OS/UA/AT
>> manufacturers is very relevant to digital accessibility. It must be
>> regulated to harmonize the efforts we are demanding of digital content
>> owners.
>>
>> So, as Sarah kindly pointed out in her post yesterday, we are going to get
>> another chance to chime on how U.S. digital accessibility law gets shaped
>> as part of the new Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
>> (SANPRM) that has just been issued by the United States Department of
>> Justice.
>>
>> http://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html
>>
>> This supplemental piece to the ADA relates to government agency
>> obligations. This is particularly interesting, in terms of how we the
>> people might be able to get our government to commit to holding software
>> manufacturers to a high standard modern accessibility support. Let's speak
>> up on this and other issues critical to driving universal access of
>> digital
>> content. We've got a chance to do this in the coming weeks as part of the
>> ADA SANPRM public comment process.
>>
>> Over and Out,
>>
>> Brooks Newton
>>
>>

From: Brandon Keith Biggs
Date: Fri, May 13 2016 8:31PM
Subject: Re: Browsers handling more widgets nativelyUsing title attribute on non-anchor elements?
← Previous message | Next message →

Hello,
I got lost and must have clicked the wrong button and now I can't take the
survey. I found the first question, then could not find what to click next.

Also, what kind of training should one have to become a SME?
Thank you,


Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;

On Fri, May 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM, Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> I can attest to the fact that Brooks makes downright unreal pan o baklava.
> In my 6 months or so of working with him I can also say that the man
> appears to possess a brain cell or 3, and know what he is talking
> about. *grin*
> Seriously, accessibility is a process that involves various players,
> and we need more conversation, training, development and solutions
> floating down the chain.
> We can't put it all on the website developer (which includes actual
> developers, content developers etc.).
> Me and my buddy CB Averitt did a presentation on this at CSUN
> http://whoseline.a11yideas.com
> I am working on taking the feedback from surveys, the examples and
> adding a personal thought or 3, as many as I can muster, to create a
> blog or a series of blogs about accessibility and the various players
> involved.
> This discussion serves as a great background and feeds in to my
> thought process behind the writing.
>
>
>
>
> On 5/5/16, Sharron Rush < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> > Dear Brooks,
> >
> > Your observations are spot on and should be widely distributed. I may
> > disagree with you to some extent about the responsibility of the W3C
> > however. It seems to me that it is not only the regulatory bodies but the
> > W3C itself that has let slip the importance and interdependence of
> > consistent accessibility support in operating systems, user agents, and
> > assistive technologies. After all, the W3C is not just any "voluntary
> > agency." It is *the* standards making body for the web and if they do
> not
> > emphasize the interdependence, who can the regulatory bodies look to for
> > guidance? I see great opportunity for the work that has been done on UAAG
> > and ATAG to be brought to the attention of the legislators and
> regulatory
> > bodies with greater urgency and emphasis.
> >
> > Thank you for the prompt to raise these issues in the coming weeks as
> part
> > of the ADA SANPRM public comment process. Much appreciated.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Sharron
> > --
> > Sharron Rush | Executive Director | Knowbility.org | @knowbility
> > *Equal access to technology for people with disabilities*
> >
> > On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 1:00 PM, you wrote
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi Chaals,
> >>
> >> Thank you for taking the time to address my response to Deborah's
> comment
> >> about her desire for browsers to natively handle some of the WAI-ARIA
> >> functions. I know most folks on this thread just check in to find
> answers
> >> on "in the weeds" issues like, what browser supports this or what
> >> attribute
> >> works best for that. However, I think from time to time it's good to
> >> raise
> >> our heads up out of the weeds and take a gander at some of the bigger
> >> questions on the horizon that drive our industry. So thanks for
> engaging
> >> me and the others on this broader topic.
> >>
> >> Quick note about my background: I've been a professional in the Web
> >> business since 1998, having served worked in the U.S. in public schools,
> >> state agencies, private business (Web design agency owner for a dozen
> >> years), plus I've worked as the accessibility lead at what was the
> fourth
> >> largest company in the world, as well as having served as principal
> >> accessibility consultant for one of the big agencies in the U.S. and
> have
> >> served as a consultant for several other a11y agencies you likely
> interact
> >> with on a daily basis in your committee work. I also make a pretty good
> >> pan of baklava. You can ask Birkir about that.
> >>
> >> Believe you me, I have a distinct understanding of the complexities
> >> involved with getting accessibility to work well for people of all
> >> abilities. You can also ask Birkir about that, as well. I certainly
> don't
> >> have as a clear of an understanding as you have, but enough to be
> >> conversant in this context. I have significant experience transferring
> >> theoretical accessibility knowledge to real people who need real
> solutions
> >> to do their work accessibly in the digital trenches as web/software
> >> production team members. That's why I'm shocked that so much emphasis
> has
> >> been placed on site owners and their designers and developers to get
> >> accessibility right on their own, without the strongly regulated support
> >> from the operating system, user agent, and assistive technology
> >> manufacturing industry. Granted, I'm no lawyer. However, I've studied
> >> U.S. accessibility regulatory law - and let me tell you, there is a
> >> glaring
> >> absence of guidance for the software industry, when compared to the
> >> burdens
> >> that have been unloaded on site/app owners in this country.
> >>
> >> I'm sure you have done so, but for others on this thread, take a look at
> >> the provisions of the laws that exist in the U.S. and across the globe
> >> that
> >> govern web accessibility. U.S. laws or laws-in-progress, such as the
> >> Twenty
> >> First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the
> >> Section 508 refresh, and the ADA refresh go out of their way to exclude
> >> from obligations the three types of software manufacturers that have
> such
> >> as strong bearing on the ultimate accessibility of web/app based digital
> >> content. I'm not guessing about this just to have something to say or
> >> posturing for Internet karma. I've been on the hook to figure this out
> >> for
> >> some of the largest organizations on earth. And let me tell you, it is
> a
> >> darn impossible task to achieve accessibility without strong support
> from
> >> the software technology that we all depend on to get web and app data
> from
> >> the ether into our brains. Any others on this thread who feel the same
> >> way? Let your voices be heard as a follow-up on this thread. Better
> yet,
> >> let the U.S. Department of Justice know how evolving accessibility law
> >> should be handled by directly responding to the call of comments that
> will
> >> soon be forthcoming as part of the new ADA SANPRM.
> >>
> >> I've personally trained thousands (no exaggeration) of web site
> >> developers, writers, designers, information architects, rich media
> >> developers, business owners, quality assurance / user acceptance testers
> >> and c-suite executives on the ins and outs of digital accessibility. I
> >> have also personally consulted with dozens of the world's biggest
> >> companies
> >> on how to make their digital content more accessible. I've watched this
> >> industry mutate into its current state, which frankly, seems farther
> from
> >> the goal of universal access than it was 10 years ago. The answers
> being
> >> offered by those "in the know" for questions that arise out of
> frustration
> >> at how to make complicated digital interfaces accessible are
> increasingly
> >> technically obfuscated solutions that invariably involve lopping more
> >> responsibilities onto the site / app owners plate. Is that really the
> >> right direction? Look man, if we can't get site owners to write decent
> alt
> >> text, how are we going to get them to custom script complex interaction
> >> patterns, state switching, focus management, etc. for a bevy of
> JS-powered
> >> widgets they thought were plug and play ready to go? As they say in the
> >> U.S. South, I think I'm preaching to the choir here...not much need for
> >> additional persuasion on this point. These site owners need some help
> >> from
> >> software manufacturers in making standard and automatic many of
> accessible
> >> accommodations that are required to make rich Internet applications
> >> accessible.
> >>
> >> Chaals, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work you and
> others
> >> have completed, in terms of evolving markup, defining standards and
> >> serving
> >> up resources to help folks make their content accessible. No
> complaints,
> >> only praise for that work. I am, however, deeply frustrated at how much
> >> of
> >> a gap exists between theoretical accessibility and actual accessibility.
> >> And, I think the majority of where that gap lies now has a lot to do
> with
> >> the fact that too much is being asked of site / app owners and their
> >> design
> >> and development teams, and not enough is being asked of the software
> >> manufacturers.
> >>
> >> I don't think the W3C WAI or other voluntary standards bodies have left
> >> software manufacturers out of the mix. I never said that. What I said
> is
> >> that legislators, regulators and some industry thought leaders have left
> >> them out of the mix. In my opinion, we will never see a groundswell of
> >> support for digital equality unless all of the relevant forces at play
> are
> >> required by law to do their respective parts. Software provided by
> >> OS/UA/AT
> >> manufacturers is very relevant to digital accessibility. It must be
> >> regulated to harmonize the efforts we are demanding of digital content
> >> owners.
> >>
> >> So, as Sarah kindly pointed out in her post yesterday, we are going to
> get
> >> another chance to chime on how U.S. digital accessibility law gets
> shaped
> >> as part of the new Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
> >> (SANPRM) that has just been issued by the United States Department of
> >> Justice.
> >>
> >> http://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html
> >>
> >> This supplemental piece to the ADA relates to government agency
> >> obligations. This is particularly interesting, in terms of how we the
> >> people might be able to get our government to commit to holding software
> >> manufacturers to a high standard modern accessibility support. Let's
> speak
> >> up on this and other issues critical to driving universal access of
> >> digital
> >> content. We've got a chance to do this in the coming weeks as part of
> the
> >> ADA SANPRM public comment process.
> >>
> >> Over and Out,
> >>
> >> Brooks Newton
> >>
> >>

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Sat, May 14 2016 5:40AM
Subject: Re: Browsers handling more widgets nativelyUsing title attribute on non-anchor elements?
← Previous message | No next message

The survey is closed. We just never got the 4 hours it takes to remove
it and re-organize the website to display the results. It will be done
in the coming couple of weeks.
There is a list of links to examples below the text.




On 5/13/16, Brandon Keith Biggs < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Hello,
> I got lost and must have clicked the wrong button and now I can't take the
> survey. I found the first question, then could not find what to click next.
>
> Also, what kind of training should one have to become a SME?
> Thank you,
>
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;
>
> On Fri, May 13, 2016 at 4:41 PM, Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
>> I can attest to the fact that Brooks makes downright unreal pan o baklava.
>> In my 6 months or so of working with him I can also say that the man
>> appears to possess a brain cell or 3, and know what he is talking
>> about. *grin*
>> Seriously, accessibility is a process that involves various players,
>> and we need more conversation, training, development and solutions
>> floating down the chain.
>> We can't put it all on the website developer (which includes actual
>> developers, content developers etc.).
>> Me and my buddy CB Averitt did a presentation on this at CSUN
>> http://whoseline.a11yideas.com
>> I am working on taking the feedback from surveys, the examples and
>> adding a personal thought or 3, as many as I can muster, to create a
>> blog or a series of blogs about accessibility and the various players
>> involved.
>> This discussion serves as a great background and feeds in to my
>> thought process behind the writing.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 5/5/16, Sharron Rush < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>> > Dear Brooks,
>> >
>> > Your observations are spot on and should be widely distributed. I may
>> > disagree with you to some extent about the responsibility of the W3C
>> > however. It seems to me that it is not only the regulatory bodies but
>> > the
>> > W3C itself that has let slip the importance and interdependence of
>> > consistent accessibility support in operating systems, user agents, and
>> > assistive technologies. After all, the W3C is not just any "voluntary
>> > agency." It is *the* standards making body for the web and if they do
>> not
>> > emphasize the interdependence, who can the regulatory bodies look to for
>> > guidance? I see great opportunity for the work that has been done on
>> > UAAG
>> > and ATAG to be brought to the attention of the legislators and
>> regulatory
>> > bodies with greater urgency and emphasis.
>> >
>> > Thank you for the prompt to raise these issues in the coming weeks as
>> part
>> > of the ADA SANPRM public comment process. Much appreciated.
>> >
>> > Sincerely,
>> > Sharron
>> > --
>> > Sharron Rush | Executive Director | Knowbility.org | @knowbility
>> > *Equal access to technology for people with disabilities*
>> >
>> > On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 1:00 PM, you wrote
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hi Chaals,
>> >>
>> >> Thank you for taking the time to address my response to Deborah's
>> comment
>> >> about her desire for browsers to natively handle some of the WAI-ARIA
>> >> functions. I know most folks on this thread just check in to find
>> answers
>> >> on "in the weeds" issues like, what browser supports this or what
>> >> attribute
>> >> works best for that. However, I think from time to time it's good to
>> >> raise
>> >> our heads up out of the weeds and take a gander at some of the bigger
>> >> questions on the horizon that drive our industry. So thanks for
>> engaging
>> >> me and the others on this broader topic.
>> >>
>> >> Quick note about my background: I've been a professional in the Web
>> >> business since 1998, having served worked in the U.S. in public
>> >> schools,
>> >> state agencies, private business (Web design agency owner for a dozen
>> >> years), plus I've worked as the accessibility lead at what was the
>> fourth
>> >> largest company in the world, as well as having served as principal
>> >> accessibility consultant for one of the big agencies in the U.S. and
>> have
>> >> served as a consultant for several other a11y agencies you likely
>> interact
>> >> with on a daily basis in your committee work. I also make a pretty
>> >> good
>> >> pan of baklava. You can ask Birkir about that.
>> >>
>> >> Believe you me, I have a distinct understanding of the complexities
>> >> involved with getting accessibility to work well for people of all
>> >> abilities. You can also ask Birkir about that, as well. I certainly
>> don't
>> >> have as a clear of an understanding as you have, but enough to be
>> >> conversant in this context. I have significant experience transferring
>> >> theoretical accessibility knowledge to real people who need real
>> solutions
>> >> to do their work accessibly in the digital trenches as web/software
>> >> production team members. That's why I'm shocked that so much emphasis
>> has
>> >> been placed on site owners and their designers and developers to get
>> >> accessibility right on their own, without the strongly regulated
>> >> support
>> >> from the operating system, user agent, and assistive technology
>> >> manufacturing industry. Granted, I'm no lawyer. However, I've studied
>> >> U.S. accessibility regulatory law - and let me tell you, there is a
>> >> glaring
>> >> absence of guidance for the software industry, when compared to the
>> >> burdens
>> >> that have been unloaded on site/app owners in this country.
>> >>
>> >> I'm sure you have done so, but for others on this thread, take a look
>> >> at
>> >> the provisions of the laws that exist in the U.S. and across the globe
>> >> that
>> >> govern web accessibility. U.S. laws or laws-in-progress, such as the
>> >> Twenty
>> >> First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the
>> >> Section 508 refresh, and the ADA refresh go out of their way to exclude
>> >> from obligations the three types of software manufacturers that have
>> such
>> >> as strong bearing on the ultimate accessibility of web/app based
>> >> digital
>> >> content. I'm not guessing about this just to have something to say or
>> >> posturing for Internet karma. I've been on the hook to figure this out
>> >> for
>> >> some of the largest organizations on earth. And let me tell you, it is
>> a
>> >> darn impossible task to achieve accessibility without strong support
>> from
>> >> the software technology that we all depend on to get web and app data
>> from
>> >> the ether into our brains. Any others on this thread who feel the same
>> >> way? Let your voices be heard as a follow-up on this thread. Better
>> yet,
>> >> let the U.S. Department of Justice know how evolving accessibility law
>> >> should be handled by directly responding to the call of comments that
>> will
>> >> soon be forthcoming as part of the new ADA SANPRM.
>> >>
>> >> I've personally trained thousands (no exaggeration) of web site
>> >> developers, writers, designers, information architects, rich media
>> >> developers, business owners, quality assurance / user acceptance
>> >> testers
>> >> and c-suite executives on the ins and outs of digital accessibility. I
>> >> have also personally consulted with dozens of the world's biggest
>> >> companies
>> >> on how to make their digital content more accessible. I've watched
>> >> this
>> >> industry mutate into its current state, which frankly, seems farther
>> from
>> >> the goal of universal access than it was 10 years ago. The answers
>> being
>> >> offered by those "in the know" for questions that arise out of
>> frustration
>> >> at how to make complicated digital interfaces accessible are
>> increasingly
>> >> technically obfuscated solutions that invariably involve lopping more
>> >> responsibilities onto the site / app owners plate. Is that really the
>> >> right direction? Look man, if we can't get site owners to write decent
>> alt
>> >> text, how are we going to get them to custom script complex interaction
>> >> patterns, state switching, focus management, etc. for a bevy of
>> JS-powered
>> >> widgets they thought were plug and play ready to go? As they say in
>> >> the
>> >> U.S. South, I think I'm preaching to the choir here...not much need for
>> >> additional persuasion on this point. These site owners need some help
>> >> from
>> >> software manufacturers in making standard and automatic many of
>> accessible
>> >> accommodations that are required to make rich Internet applications
>> >> accessible.
>> >>
>> >> Chaals, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work you and
>> others
>> >> have completed, in terms of evolving markup, defining standards and
>> >> serving
>> >> up resources to help folks make their content accessible. No
>> complaints,
>> >> only praise for that work. I am, however, deeply frustrated at how
>> >> much
>> >> of
>> >> a gap exists between theoretical accessibility and actual
>> >> accessibility.
>> >> And, I think the majority of where that gap lies now has a lot to do
>> with
>> >> the fact that too much is being asked of site / app owners and their
>> >> design
>> >> and development teams, and not enough is being asked of the software
>> >> manufacturers.
>> >>
>> >> I don't think the W3C WAI or other voluntary standards bodies have left
>> >> software manufacturers out of the mix. I never said that. What I said
>> is
>> >> that legislators, regulators and some industry thought leaders have
>> >> left
>> >> them out of the mix. In my opinion, we will never see a groundswell of
>> >> support for digital equality unless all of the relevant forces at play
>> are
>> >> required by law to do their respective parts. Software provided by
>> >> OS/UA/AT
>> >> manufacturers is very relevant to digital accessibility. It must be
>> >> regulated to harmonize the efforts we are demanding of digital content
>> >> owners.
>> >>
>> >> So, as Sarah kindly pointed out in her post yesterday, we are going to
>> get
>> >> another chance to chime on how U.S. digital accessibility law gets
>> shaped
>> >> as part of the new Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
>> >> (SANPRM) that has just been issued by the United States Department of
>> >> Justice.
>> >>
>> >> http://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html
>> >>
>> >> This supplemental piece to the ADA relates to government agency
>> >> obligations. This is particularly interesting, in terms of how we the
>> >> people might be able to get our government to commit to holding
>> >> software
>> >> manufacturers to a high standard modern accessibility support. Let's
>> speak
>> >> up on this and other issues critical to driving universal access of
>> >> digital
>> >> content. We've got a chance to do this in the coming weeks as part of
>> the
>> >> ADA SANPRM public comment process.
>> >>
>> >> Over and Out,
>> >>
>> >> Brooks Newton
>> >>
>> >>