Low Vision Accessibility Task Force Work Statement)

This Work Statement was approved in 2015. Updated information is available from the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force home page and wiki page.

The Low Vision Accessibility Task Force (Low Vision A11Y TF) is a task force of the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG) (formerly also of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG) which has closed). It assists this Working Group with the work identified below.

Status

The Low Vision Accessibility Force is now active. The Task Force home page contains information about the operation and resources of the group.

This Work Statement was updated 27 January 2017 to change the name of the sponsoring Working Group to “Accessibility Guidelines”, and previously was updated to clarify that it is now a task force just of the AG WG because the UAWG closed, and to update a liaison from the PFWG, which has closed, to the APA WG.

Objective

The objective of the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force is to identify issues and specify solutions to web accessibility issues specific to users with low vision via WCAG 2.0 techniques, understanding and guidance documents, and as needed to produce extensions to WCAG 2.0. Since many of the low vision issues may be addressed through the browser, this work will also include references and use cases related to UAAG 2.0. This work includes:

• Document requirements for low vision users;
• Identify gaps in the above requirements between user needs and how they are met by web sites that conform to WCAG 2.0;
• Document sufficient and advisory techniques and failures for WCAG 2.0 to meet low vision user needs;
• Define low vision use cases which user agents need to support;
• Develop extension to WCAG 2.0 to address low-vision user needs effectively;
• Develop support materials to explain the issues and implementation of the above resources effectively.

Approach

Initially the Task Force will refine the scope of work need to provide complete information on how to support low vision accessibility. The work will likely be broken down into modular components that can be used as independent resources or as part of a cohesive suite. The individual components of the Low Vision A11Y Task Force’s work may be developed as W3C Recommendations, W3C Working Group Notes, or other W3C / WAI resources. This will be decided after the development of an initial, more detailed set of requirements for handling accessibility for low vision users.

The work will be carried out iteratively with continual involvement of the public throughout the development. In particular, key stakeholders such as developers, evaluators, experts, researchers, and users will be regularly involved in the development process of the work of the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force.

Dependencies

The Low Vision Accessibility Task Force depends on the AG WG to ensure accurate interpretation and representation of WCAG requirements.

The Low Vision Accessibility Task Force will also coordinate with the Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group (APA WG), for technical advice and Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) where necessary to improve the writing, presentation, and educational value of the developed materials.

Communication

Low Vision Accessibility Task Force communications are publicly visible. Communication mechanisms for the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force include:

• Low Vision Accessibility Task Force mailing list public-low-vision-a11y-tf@w3.org and mailing list archive ;
• Use of a wiki to share development of resources;
• Web-based surveys to poll group opinion;
• IRC discussion on the #lvtf IRC channel, used largely for minute-taking;
• Weekly teleconferences, minutes from the teleconferences are also sent to AG WG mailing list;
• Regular updates and feedback to the AG WG, and potentially the WAI CC as needed;
• Regular submission of deliverables to the AG WG for approval;
• Summary of current status and progress on the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force home page.

Participation

To join the Low Vision A11Y TF, individuals must be participants of the AG WG. Participants are expected to actively contribute to the work of Low Vision A11Y TF, including:

• Minimum 4 hours per week of Low Vision A11Y TF work (this time also counts towards the individual’s participation requirement in the sponsoring WG through which they have joined);
• Remain current on the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force mailing list and respond in a timely manner to postings;
• Participate in Low Vision Accessibility Task Force telephone meetings, or send regrets to the Low Vision Accessibility Task Force mailing list.

Contact Andrew Kirkpatrick, and Jim Allan to become a participant of Low Vision Accessibility Task Force or with questions.

Leadership

Staff contacts oversee attention to W3C Process with respect to the chartered requirements. The Facilitator(s) set agenda, lead meetings, determine consensus, and are the primary liaison to the WGs.

• Task Force facilitators:
  • Jonathan Avila, Level Access
• Staff Contact:
  • Shawn Lawton Henry

Participants

Current Low Vision A11Y TF participants

Patent Policy

This Task Force is part of the AG WG Charter, which operates under the W3C Patent Policy (5 February 2004 Version). W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the AG WG.