The Open Web Platform: Mobile Accessible HTML5

PRESENTERS

• Judy Brewer, Director of Web Accessibility Initiative, W3C
• Jeanne Spellman, Web Accessibility Engineer, W3C/ WAI

Judy is covering what WAI is up to right now, went through slides that provided a fairly ridiculous amount of background information about W3C, HTML5 capabilities.  Basically, this is a list of stuff that she covered.  To learn more, see links in the text below.

Elements of the Open Web Platform (OWP)

• HTML5
• CSS
• SVG
• TTML/WebVTT
• MathML
• WAIT-ARIA
• IndieUI
• more…
• New accessibility approach, better progress
• Waht to use, what to watch

Where to learn more

 

HTML5

• A full programming environment for cross-platform apps with access to device capabilities
• Integrated video, animations, graphics
• Style, typography
• Plug-in free rich media games

Accessibility Concerns with HTML5

• Broader range of functionality to support
• Has to do this within a high performance, small footprint

 

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ALL ACCESSIBLE?

One key aspect of W3C is Web for ALL

WAI

1. Accessibility support in technologies
2. guidelines, standards
3. evaluation resources
4. education, outreach
5. coordination with research
6. standards harmonization

 

WAI APPROACH

Multi-stakeholder, consensus-driven, open and transparent processes.  We do a lot with lists and drafts.  Guidelines approach is stable that allows for adaptations.  Authoring tools guidelines, content guidelines, and user agent accessibility guidelines (very relevant for mobile environment).  Web technologies move rapidly, of course…

Core spec is HTML5, but many other specs (CSS, SVG, haptic CSS, etc).  HTML5 is in “Candidate Recommendation.”  Focus is on implementation testing; scheduled to be completed in 2014; already heavily used for mobile.  LOTS of testing is going on right now.  ARIA, Canvas, Text tracks, Native (markup that’s helpful for navigation), improved error reporting in forms completion.

Imperative to complete HTML5 soon, BUT accessibility is also an imperative.  Implementing provisions in “Plan 2014” for smoother / faster progress.  Task force extensions underway or anticipated:  ARIA in HTML, HTML5 Image description (longdesc).  Using the extensions approach to:  directly build what’s needed to support accessibility, decisions get made by people with accessibility expertise, schedule is independent of HTML 5.0 and 5.1, extensions can continue to involve.  Possible problems:  could potentially affect update.  Open Web Platform is a buffet, not a strict set (vendors are picking and choosing anyway).

Task Force is constantly addressing accessibility issues, removing buggy alt guidance, removed meta-generator exemption, still need (for instance) alt text length threshold for figure-captions, need better longer textual description mechanisms for video.

ARIA is a key component of OWP, and is a standalone technical specification.  It is itself a Candidate Recommendation.  There are 2 explanatory documents, using WAI-ARIA in HTML5, ARIA authoring practices.  Steve Faulkner is working on this.

MOBILE AND ACCESSIBILiTY

• www.w3.org/WAI/mobile maintained by Shawn Henry
• WCAG2 is an ISO standard

EXAMPLES OF COVERAGE IN WCAG 2

• Labels for buttons and control
• Contrast
• Captions, transcripts
• Audio desc
• Adaptable layout
• Focus visible

USER AGENT ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES

• 2.0 guidelines are in working draft
• Accessibility of browsers, media players, mobile devices
• Extensive user scenarios for mobile accessibility
• Hoping that calling out needs will nudge OS makers to provide support

INDIE UI

• An abstraction that interprets events across different device types / layers
• Maps user input events to intended functions (i.e. scrolling via touch, mouse, keyboard, speech, etc.)
• Allows web app to get info about user needs and preferences
• Some security and privacy issues need resolution
• Some browser manufacturers are at the table on this, but not all of them

MOBILE AND ACCESSIBLE:  EDUCATIONAL

• Roadmap, updated twice a year
• WCAG to MWBP (Mobile Web Best Practices)

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS OF OWP

• Media and interchange formats (TTML, SMPTE TT, WebVTT)
• W3C wants to be agnostic with regard to video formats; unable to harmonize onto single format
• Better support for captioning

MEDIA ACCESSIBILITY USER REQUIREMENTS

• Alternative Content Technologies
• System Requirements

MATHML

• Accessibility support is available
• APIs are available
• Browser support is only partially available

USING COMBINATIONS OF OWP ELEMENTS

• Online learning
• Games
• TV on the web

ACCESSIBLE DIGITAL PUBLISHING

• E-Pub3 (DAISY accessibility reqs, HTML5, MathML, SVG, Canvas, JS interactivity, video)

ECOSYSTEM FOR WEB ACCESSIBILITY

• Technology foundation (universally designed technologies, interoperable APIs)
• Motivational context (policies, reqs, business cases)
• Implementation support (educational resources, training, demos, sample code)
• Validation and Conformance (validation tools, conformance models, evaluation metrics, heavy testing)

THE WAI WEB SITE: GETTING INVOLVED

• Getting stared
• Designing for inclusion
• Guidelines and Techniques
• Planning and Implementing
• Evaluating Accessibility
• Prestations and Tutorials
• www.w3.org/WAI/

QUESTIONS

• There are so many standards we’re chasing right now…when will we be able to “ride the wave?”  Answer (which is also a quotable quote by Tim Berners-Lee):  “It’s like rebuilding all the capabilities of a computer, on the web.”  Some organizations are contributing engineering time to the testing effort.
• Regarding testing of extensions, do we have a list or schedule of when it will be done?  Answer:  should see a public working draft in the next week or so.  What happens after that, need to see what comments are received.  Much of this will be done via parallel testing of extensions.  We’ll be working to get a done working draft as soon as we can.
• What’s the one thing we can do to help that would have the greatest impact on mobile work?

 

GET INVOLVED WITH WAI, people!!