The Section 508 Standards apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to web content and other electronic content. Issued by the W3C, WCAG 2.0 is a globally recognized, technology-neutral standard. This session will feature new and differing approaches to web accessibility requirements proposed for the next generation of these guidelines, the draft WCAG 3.0, (or WCAG3).
Jeanne Spellman, lead editor and chair of the taskforce developing WCAG3, will review the background of the WCAG3 development process and discuss the team’s approach to accessibility standards. Jeanne will be joined in conversation by Bruce Bailey, IT Specialist at the Access Board, and active member with the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AGWG) of the W3C.
They will discuss various questions, including: What is the purpose of an accessibility standard? Is it sufficient for standards addressing digital accessibility to provide a list of technical requirements, or is more required? What are effective approaches to use when developing an accessibility standard so that it can be consistently interpreted and applied?
The conversation will include frank discussion about the concerns and difficulties various stake holders have with current web accessibility standards. Section 508 (and EN 301 549) applied the WCAG 2.0 web standards to other digital content, which has implications for the development of WCAG3. Join Jeanne and Bruce as they review some of the opportunities for improving upon the current approach used by WCAG 2.0 (and 2.1, and 2.2) – including Success Criteria and a binary true/false analysis of accessibility.
There will also be discussion of the current WCAG3 draft under development, including a proposed approach to attributing different weights or values to accessibility provisions, so that digital content may be evaluated using a rating system which is more transparent, and results in more usability to address the needs of users with disabilities.
The presenters will address pre-submitted questions during the main presentation, and live questions as time permits. They are particularly interested in participant feedback on the WCAG3 approach and whether it addresses improvements desired by federal agencies.