JTC1/SC34 Resolution on Accessibility

[robert_weir@us.ibm.com]

Although I did not attend the recent JTC1/SC34 Plenary
in Oslo, I notice that they adopted the following resolution, which acknowledges
the work you all have done on ODF Accessibility Guidelines.

Are any TC members here also involved in JTC1's SWG-A?

-Rob

Resolution 1: Accessibility in SC 34

SC 34 notes:

• the importance of ensuring that accessibility to people with disabilities is taken into account in the development of document description and processing standards
• that at its Berlin Plenary Meeting in October 2004 JTC1 established a Special Working Group on Accessibility (SWG-A)
• that JTC1 SWG-A has been developing a multi-part Technical Report PDTR 29138 (Information Technology - Accessibility Considerations for People with Disabilities) which looks at both user needs (Parts 1 and 3) and the extent to which existing standards meet those needs (Part 2)
• that the importance of accessibility is recognized by other standards bodies, including W3C (through its WAI initiative)
• that accessibility guidelines are incorporated in ISO/IEC 26300 ODF
• that (through the efforts of the Canadian and New Zealand National Bodies in particular) significant support for accessibility has been added to the final text of ISO/IEC 29500 OOXML

SC
34 resolves that accessibility considerations will be taken fully into
account in current and future projects and urges its members to review
the work of JTC1 SWG-A (especially PDTR 29138), W3C WAI and others, and
to play an active part in the implementation and further development of
accessibility guidelines

SC 34 requests that the SC34 Secretariat / Japanese National Body make a report to the next SC34 Plenary Meeting on the results of the JTC1 SWG-A meeting in Tokyo, Japan, 16-19 June 2008.

Unanimous