Minutes: February 10 Accessibility Subteam Meeting

[Richard Schwerdtfeger <schwer@us.ibm.com>]

Rich: Introduction: Raising the Bar with ODF ( Goals and Objectives)

ODF is the first truly open document format where we can all raise the accessibility bar
- Regardless of ODF’s future – Raising the bar will drive all document access to improve
- This is an end user effort as much as it is a technical effort – Use Cases are Critical
- We must consider a total solution (Application, AT interoperability, Author assistance)
- We must execute in a timely fashion

Objectives
- Support DAISY standards for talking books (allow for XSLT transformation
- Fill basic gaps between existing Office formats and ODF
- Follow existing W3C accessibility standards and markup features (WCAG, XForms, etc.)
- Enhance Braille support where possible
- Improve Access to Presentations
- Improve Keyboard navigation (Can we benefit from Declarative markup for Keyboard navigation?)
- Facilitate platform API interoperability (support emerging Dynamic Web Access Standards)
- Solutions should be usable!

Expected community involvement
- Use Cases, Use Cases, Use Cases – You don’t need to be a techy, you need to be a consumer
- Feedback
- Technical expertise in DAISY, W3C specifications are welcome


Page 21 of gap analysis - Chieko Asakawa

Chieko: There are 2 types of objects OLE and ODF. On the left side you cans see a list of files and one OLE object. On the right you have a list ODF object. There is an embedded OLE object. Bottom is an example of an ODF object.

Hiro: XML based AT can handle the embedded objects.

Rich: is there anything we can do to assist in providing the navigation in and out of the embedded objects?

Hiro: Don't have an idea on how to tell the browser how to improve keyboard accessibility for embedded objects.
Hiro: Can't peform accessibility checking on embedded objects - unless they are ODF.
Hiro: Recommend that not use OLE objects because we cannot validate.

Rich: Do we leave it up to the user agent on how we navigate in and out of an embedded document.
Rich: Is there any keyboard specification in the ODF Spec.
Nathaniel: no, we need to address sequencing and the strategies for processing that.
Chieko: Z order would be my preference. - Depth.
Rich: how does workplace deal with embedded ODF docs
Nathaniel: We should not concentrate on just Worklace
Mike Paciello: Can we get Harvey Bingham to help as he worked on DAISY?
Rich: what is the procedure?
Mike Paciello: I can check with Harvey as he lives close.
Nathaniel: we need to make sure there are no IPR issues.
*Action Item: Mike Paciello to contact Harvey regarding use cases from a DAISY perspective on how to address navigation in and out of embedded object (OLE, ODF)
Hiro: Flash can navigate using the down arrow to enter a Flash plugin. Nothing to get out.
Hiro: For Microsoft Office this does not work. If we are reading a powerpoint slide an enter key is used to get into the embedded object. escape to exit.
MIke: I believe there is a keyboard sequence to get out.
*ACTION: Nathaniel investigate whether a parent ODF document may reference an embbeded ODF document as this could impact the navigation sequence.
*ACTION: I will pursue use cases in Navigation.
*ACTION: Rich to get with Dave Pawson and Janina on getting meta data for DAISY support
*ACTION: Hiro and Chieko to provide use cases for navigation documents and in particular presentations as well as sucggestions on how to improve markup to remove the guessing/historises
Hiro: SMIL animations are very difficult
Hiro: Office has an exporting function to the animation function
*ACTION: Hiro and Chieko to provide issues on presentations related to last action item in 2 weeks.
Mike: I am particularly sensitive to the value presentation for having an ODF speciification
Rich: We need to address value proposition/messaging for CSUN
*ACTION: Rich get with Mike Paciello and Janina Sajka on a first pass of messaging

Next meeting is in 2 weeks:

- Use Cases Mike Paciello on DAISY navigation suggestions
- Chieko/Hiro Issues/Use cases for Presentations navigation/processing







Rich Schwerdtfeger
Distinguished Engineer, SWG Accessibility Architect/Strategist
Chair, IBM Accessibility Architecture Review Board
blog: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/dw_blog.jspa?blog=441

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.", Frost