[Blindtlk] FW: It is official - WCAG 2.0

[T. Joseph Carter]

Web standards nerds might remember the objections of Joe Clark and others.  
Here's a good place to get started if you want to get into it:

http://joeclark.org/access/webaccess/WCAG/

Apparently, these guys made a big enough stink in 2006 and 2007 that WCAG 2 
is apparently not half bad, at least not anymore.  It'll probably be a few 
days before the so-called "standardistas" have time to react to this thing 
in its final form, but I'll reserve judgment positive or negative until 
people who know a lot more about it than I do have the chance to vet the 
new standards.

One major difference described between WCAG 1 an 2 is that WCAG 1 said that 
anything not a W3C standard was bad.  In the days of static pages, basic 
HTML user interfaces, and dialup modems, that was fine.  Apparently, the 
WCAG 2 focuses far more on the idea that a thing that is inaccessible is 
bad.  Modern website accessibility is way more complex now than just 
putting alt tags on images, as we all know far too well.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out.

Joseph


On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 07:18:11PM -0600, David Andrews wrote:
>
>
>
>> It is true ... and hot off the press:
>>
>> http://www.w3.org/2008/12/wcag20-pressrelease.html
>>
>> W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web
>>
>>
>> Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
>> defines how to make Web content more accessible to people
>> with disabilities, and older people with changing abilities
>> due to ageing/aging
>>
>> WCAG 2.0 has many benefits:
>> - International standards cooperatively developed,
>> - Critera is clearer and easier to test,
>> - Applicable to more advanced Web technologies,
>> - Support materials and practical guides for implementation are
>> available.
>>
>> WCAG 2.0 explains how to make content:
>> - Perceivable (for instance by addressing text alternatives for images,
>> captions for audio, adaptability of presentation, and color contrast);
>> - Operable (by addressing keyboard access, color contrast,
>> timing of input, seizure avoidance, and navigability);
>> - Understandable (by addressing readability, predictability,
>> and input assistance); and
>> - Robust (for instance by addressing compatibility
>> with assistive technologies).
>>
>> For quick answers go to:
>> WCAG FAQ - http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/wcag2faq
>
>
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