W3C/WAI's Experience with eGovernment

Toward More Transparent Government:
Workship on eGovernment and the Web
18 June 2007
Washington DC, USA

Judy Brewer
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative
World Wide Web Consortium

WAI Guidelines

Address cross-disability accessibility of the Web

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)

Use of WAI Guidelines in US

Web portion of first Section 508 standard based on WCAG 1.0
WCAG 2.0 harmonization target for updated Sec. 508 Web portion
Some input from ATAG 2.0 into updated Sec. 508
WCAG 1.0 referenced in many ADA legal settlements
WCAG 1.0 referenced by ~1/3 State governments

EITAAC 1998-1999

W3C/WAI participated
EITAAC recommended using WCAG, ATAG, UAAG
ATAG & UAAG not yet ready for prime time
WCAG 1.0 used in part, some changes, additions, deletions
Massive boost to awareness of need for accessibility
Authoring tool developers backed off of ATAG implementation plans

Standards harmonization or fragmentation

Variety of WCAG 1.0 spin-offs around the world
Authoring tool developers saw no unified market
Business case for authoring tool support undermined

What we've done differently as a result

Ongoing dialog and feedback
Emphasis on:
- testability
- key role of authoring tool
- Essential Components of Web Accessibility
- Why Standards Harmonization is Essential to Web Accessibility
- Policy for Authorized W3C Translations
Coordination with
- governments, standards organizations, funded projects
Reviews of:
- survey evaluations
- alternate guidelines

TEITAC 2006-2007

More explicit discussion around harmonization w/ WCAG 2.0
Demand for authoring strategies
Positive history of collaboration among stakeholders
International participation

International Uptake & Issues

UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Policies Relating to Web Accessibility
European Commission
- benchmarking approach
- demonstrating conformance
Canada's Common Look and Feel
Australia's HREOC

Coordination with Standards Organization

JTC1 Special Working Group on Accessibility
- User Needs Matrix
DATSCG -- upcoming mandate on accessibility
JIS -- extensive work to support convergence
& more

Testing and Monitoring

Education around approaches to evaluation
Database of evaluation tools
EARL Schema
Test samples

Are We There Yet?

(there = achieving accessibility)

Why continued use of inaccessible formats?
Implementation planning:
- ongoing promotion
- organizational policy
- capacity building
- reviewing authoring tool support
- coordination with implementation partners
- evaluation & monitoring
- enforcement
Ongoing dialog with disability community
- ODF & accessibility in Massachusetts

Keeping Ahead of New Technologies

Tracking development of W3C specifications
Tracking accessibility of non-W3C technologies

WAI Resources