Buzz Archives: WaSP Asks the W3C
What’s happening with WCAG 2.0?
Following a conversation with Judy Brewer from the W3C back in February, Jared Smith had the chance to interview her and submit some probing questions about what's happening with WCAG 2.0. Thanks Judy...and nice one Jared! See the interview with Judy Brewer on WCAG 2.0 in our WaSP Asks the ...
By Patrick Lauke | May 5th, 2007
- What’s that object, again?
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A while ago, we asked the W3C: how do we go about including multimedia objects in Web documents in a backwards-compatible way? In the first of a two-part issue, the W3C gave us a little history lesson about the birth of multimedia inclusion in HTML documents. Now, in this long-awaited ...
By Steph Troeth | May 24th, 2005
- What’s that object?
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The object element has long been a subject of mystery and frustration. How do we use it? How well is it supported? As part of the WaSP asks the W3C project, we consult the W3C about the correct way to include multimedia elements such as sound, animation and video into our ...
By Steph Troeth | July 1st, 2004
- What is CC/PP and Why Should I Care?
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CC/PP is not a new idea - it's been in development at the W3C for some time now. Yet, many web designers and developers are unaware of what it is, much less how it integrates with XML, XHTML and XSLT in an effort to improve device independence. The W3C ...
By Molly E. Holzschlag | February 16th, 2004
- Benefits of XHTML Modularization
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Just what is this magic word beginning with 'M' that spans six syllables? What does it mean, and what implications does it have for us? In this issue of “WaSP asks the W3C”, we learn some of the benefits of XHTML Modularization.
By Steph Troeth | December 17th, 2003
- HTML or XHTML?
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Why is it that the question you think is stupid is usually the one that everyone else is dying to ask? So which one is better: HTML or XHTML? Seems simple in the midst of this flurry of acronyms such as XAML and XUL. The W3C wants to help you ...
By Molly E. Holzschlag | October 28th, 2003
- Serving up the Right MIME Type
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Q: Which MIME type should XHTML be served with? A: The short answer is application/xhtml+xml, of course. But this MIME type isn't recognized by a number of user agents, Internet Explorer included. So, what to do? In our long-awaited return to the WaSP Asks the W3C series, we ask ...
By Molly E. Holzschlag | September 4th, 2003
- WaSP Asks the W3C
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In an effort to assist developers and designers in understanding detailed issues when working with web standards, WaSP and the W3C kick off a new project today. The project, "WaSP Asks the W3C" involves WaSP Steering Committee members culling questions from supporters and asking members of the W3C's Quality Assurance ...
By Molly E. Holzschlag | December 9th, 2002
The Web Standards Project is a grassroots coalition fighting for standards which ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.
Recent Buzz
British Standard for accessibility
By Bruce Lawson | July 11th, 2008
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has invited two members of the WaSP, Bruce Lawson and Patrick Lauke, to join the drafting committee for the first British Standard for Web Accessiblity.
Two years ago, the BSI was sponsored by the Disability Rights Commission to write a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) called PAS 78: Guide to Commissioning Accessible Websites. Publicly Available Specifications are written quickly and “expire” after two years, but because of the popularity of PAS 78, the BSI have decided to update it to become a full British Standard.
We’ve just started work on the draft, which doesn’t yet have a title, although our working title is “encouraging the development of fantastic user experiences for disabled people online”.
Consequently, it’s too early to say what will be in BS8878, which will be released next spring. I can say that it will not tread on the toes of whichever version of WCAG is live then, as it’s a document to help site owners rather than developers. Like PAS 78, it will encourage adherence to current web standards.
Neither can I say who else is on the committee, except that it’s chaired by Julie Howell, and there are representatives from all over industry—broadcasting, banking, legal, education and (crucially) representatives of disability groups, including groups working with those with cognitive disabilities.
Patrick and I gratefully acknowledge our employers, Opera Software and the University of Salford, who are supporting us by paying our travel expenses and giving us time off to attend meetings and write the drafts. They have nothing material to gain by supporting us, and are exercising no editorial control, but are helping to make disabled people’s experiences of the web better.
As a procedural footnote, now that Derek Featherstone has moved role within WaSP to be Group Lead, I’m working with Patrick to be co-lead of the Accessiblity Task Force. Our main projects will be the British Standard, continuing to work with the microformats community testing various date-time patterns with screenreaders, and monitoring the developments in HTML5.
Filed in Accessibility, Accessibility TF | Comments (15)
More Buzz articles
| Title | Author |
|---|---|
| Opera Web Standards Curriculum | Rob Dickerson |
| hAccessibility redux? | Patrick Lauke |
| RNIB Surf Right Toolbar available for IE | Bruce Lawson |
| Easy-to-use Flickr and YouTube | Bruce Lawson |