WAI Technical Activity Statement
The Web Accessibility
Initiative (WAI) Technical Activity addresses barriers to Web
accessibility on several levels. First, it seeks to ensure that the full range
of core technologies of the Web, from HTML to the Semantic Web, is accessible.
Barriers exist when these technologies lack features needed by users with
visual, auditory, physical, cognitive or neurological disabilities; or when the
accessibility potential in the technology is not implemented in Web content or
applications. The WAI Technical Activity coordinates closely with the WAI International Program
Office, which focuses on WAI education and outreach, research and
development, and overall coordination of WAI activities.
The WAI Technical Activity reviews accessibility support across all W3C
specifications, and develops the WAI-ARIA suite of resources for making Rich
Internet Applications accessible through the work of the Protocols and Formats
Working Group (PFWG). The WAI Technical Activity promotes implementation of
accessibility improvements in Web technologies through development of a set of
three WAI guidelines as Recommendations: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG), and Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG). These guidelines describe features needed to
achieve different levels of accessibility, and include reference checklists and
implementation techniques. The WAI Technical Activity also develops techniques
to improve tools for evaluation and repair of Web sites through the work of the
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG).
Highlights Since the Previous Advisory Committee Meeting
Since the previous W3C Advisory Committee Meeting in May 2011, the WAI
Technical Activity accomplished the following through its five Working
Groups.
The Protocols and Formats Working
Group (PFWG) (Member PFWG
page):
- Processed public comments on the Accessible Rich
Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 Candidate Recommendation and Role Attribute
1.0 Last Call Working Draft.
- Began to identify testable statements for WAI-ARIA, which are stored in
the draft
implementation report, and began the creation of a set of test files
as primary steps in the test plan.
- Continued review of W3C Last Call Working Drafts and dialog with other
W3C Working Groups to address accessibility issues in W3C specifications.
The PFWG reviewed and in some cases sent comments on Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines, Contacts API, CSS Regions, CSS Speech,
DeviceOrientation Event, DOM 3 Events, EmotionML, Evaluation and Report
Language (EARL), Points of Interest, Progress Events, Touch Events, and Web
Workers. The group organized a comprehensive proactive review of the entire
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) suite comprised of approximately 50 modules at
all stages of development.
- The joint HTML
Accessibility Task Force with the HTML 5 WG has been actively
addressing a suite of issues. The task force completed a comprehensive
review of the HTML 5 Last Call Working Draft and filed approximately
130 issues. In addition to the main task force, its five sub-groups work on
canvas, media, ARIA mapping, text alternatives, and issue management. Focus
has been on complete engineering of new features and avoiding removal of
older but still needed features.
- Explored and assigned delegates to the Real-Time Communications Working
Group and the Web & TV
Interest Group.
- Participated in the creation of a joint HTML 5 Techniques
Task Force with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working
Group.
- Began the process to spin off a new Working Group, the Intentional
Events Working Group, to develop User Action Events with the Web Events Working Group. User
Action Events is an abstraction between device-specific user interaction
events and inferred user intent such as scroll, activate, etc. that
facilitate interaction in Web applications that are accessible to people
with disabilities.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Working Group (WCAG WG):
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working
Group (AUWG):
- AUWG focused on completing changes to Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
(ATAG) 2.0 and Implementing ATAG 2.0
based on the comments
from the Last Call working draft and formal responses to commenters.
AUWG published a working draft consolidating the changes for review and
received new
comments in response to the July 2011 working draft. Once these changes
are negotiated, the working group expects to publish a final Last Call
working draft. AUWG has been assembling a preliminary implementation report
based on current market products and promoting implementations of ATAG 2.0
in preparation for Candidate Recommendation.
The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
(UAWG):
- UAWG has been writing Implementing UAAG 2.0
and improving User Agent
Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0. UAWG has received feedback from
individual members of the disability community, and incorporated
improvements based on that feedback. UAWG reviewed and commented on the
HTML5 Last Call and has been coordinating with the Protocol & Formats
Working Group on WAI-ARIA coordination issues. UAWG contributed to the
HTML5-Accessibility Task Force Media Subgroup. A subgroup of UAWG is
reviewing UAAG 2.0 for applicability to mobile platforms. UAWG continues to
look for implementations of UAAG 2.0 in preparation for Candidate
Recommendation, since queuing features for development cycles can take a
long time.
The Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT
WG):
Upcoming Activity Highlights
Protocols and Formats Working Group:
- Publish WAI-ARIA User Agent Implementation Guide Proposed
Recommendation.
- Publish Role Attribute Candidate Recommendation and Proposed
Recommendation.
- Publish updated Working Drafts of the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices,
WAI-ARIA Primer, and WAI-ARIA Roadmap.
- Prepare a test harness (repository of test files and test result data)
for WAI-ARIA.
- Continue to process high-priority accessibility issues that were not
addressed in the Last Call or introduced since then.
- Continue review and dialog on accessibility issues in W3C Working
Drafts.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:
- Document additional techniques for WCAG 2.0, primarily focused on HTML 5
and WAI-ARIA.
- Maintain and improve Understanding WCAG 2.0.
- Respond to public comments on WCAG 2.0 and support materials.
- Publish updated Working Group Notes of Understanding WCAG 2.0 and WCAG
2.0 Techniques.
- Publish a public review draft of Understanding WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.0
Techniques reflecting the above work.
- Coordinate with other groups to support understanding and implementation
of WCAG 2.0.
- Improve the effectiveness of How to Meet WCAG 2.0, also known as the
Quick Reference.
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:
- AUWG will finish processing comments from the most recent working draft
and plans to go to Last Call when complete. AUWG is beginning work on a
test suite and plans to use the new framework being developed by the
Testing IG. The working group will continue to test and develop a
implementation report to determine gaps in implementations. Outreach to
authoring tool vendors will continue to raise awareness and promote
implementation.
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group:
- UAWG plans to publish a Last Call working draft when the documents are
complete. Plans for the face to face meeting during TPAC week include:
complete writing, resolve outstanding issues, and prioritize any remaining
tasks to be completed before Last Call. UAWG will continue to promote UAAG
2.0 and look for implementations for Candidate Recommendation. The working
group will begin developing a test suite for UAAG 2.0 and plans to use the
test framework being developed by the Testing IG.
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group:
- Publish Last Call Working Draft of EARL 1.0, including:
- Publish the Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) 1.0 Schema as a
Last Call Working Draft
- Publish the Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) 1.0 Guide as a Last
Call Working Draft
- Publish HTTP Vocabulary in RDF as a Working Group Note
- Publish Representing Content in RDF as a Working Group Note
- Publish Pointer Methods in RDF as a Working Draft
- Contribute to the W3C testing
infrastructure to develop evaluation and testing methodologies for WAI
guidelines and specifications
Summary of Activity Structure
This Activity Statement was prepared for
TPAC 2011 per section 5
of the W3C Process Document.
Generated
from group data.
Judy Brewer, WAI Technical
Activity Lead
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