Patrick H. Lauke wrote:
From their mission statement:
"WAI develops support materials to help understand and implement Web
accessibility"
http://www.w3.org/WAI/about-links.html
And from the requirements of WCAG 2
"Design deliverables with ease of use in mind"
http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2-req/
So I think they're falling a bit behind on both accounts here...
Agreed.
What seems to be the problem so far, is the lack of this:
----
4. Write to a more diverse audience
WCAG 2.0 deliverables must address the needs of a variety of readers,
including people who wish to:
- Create accessible, innovative Web sites.
...[etc]...
<http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2-req/>
----
One can hardly say their deliverables are anywhere near to fulfilling
that point, since most of us have problems sorting out what we need and
how to implement it - mostly because of the language used.
OTOH: it's just a draft, and they may actually have a, somewhat flawed,
expectation that those who want to 'create accessible, innovative Web
sites' are already mastering the language they use to perfection.
One can find several indications on the W3C site pointing towards the
need for a certain type of "correct" language in their documentation, in
order to avoid misinterpretation. I generally have no problems with
that, but it doesn't always meet the needs of 'a variety of readers'.
I am slightly against simplification as a mean to improve access,
because there's always the risk of oversimplification and loss of
meaning. However, the draft we have now sure could do with some
language-simplification in order to meet the average reader's needs.
As mentioned in an earlier thread:
"Maybe someone in the right group(s) can improve on the wording before
the final arrives, ..."
If they can't do it themselves then someone else may have to - and do
it well, as there's enough confusion spread around the web about what
the different Web standards actually say.
Georg
--
http://www.gunlaug.no
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