Hello Everyone
I really do hate to jump on my soapbox here, but sorry here I go. On
recieving this Email I Clicked on the English Link and when the page
opened I was so MAD(yes I know only dogs get mad). Let me explain.
I have for many years used Netscape as my Web Browser and Love it and do
not wish to have to use Internet Explorer, because it whats to be part
of my Operating System.
I have my Windows98 Second Edition set to High Contrast #1 and in
Netscape my settings are, Black Background, Yellow Text and Links.
Now I am not sure it its a Netscape Problem or if its the way people are
making web pages or the program they are making them with, but when the
below page opens all text is Black and All Links are Blue. Now on my
Black Background Setting it makes the page unreadable for me.
Now one would think that a web page put of to help others make pages
would know about this problem and make sure that its not a problem for
anyone to see the page no matter what that persons color scheme may be.
Sorry to vent but I just could not let this go any longer.
Thanks
Christopher Dixon
http://www.dixonvision.com
[log in to unmask]
icq# 1084639
David Poehlman wrote:
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: W3C Issues Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines as a
> Recommendation
> Resent-Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:01:00 -0500 (EST)
> Resent-From: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 08:59:31 -0500
> From: Judy Brewer <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> World Wide Web Consortium Issues Authoring Tool
> Accessibility Guidelines as a Recommendation
>
> New Guidelines Spur Development of Tools that Help Produce
> Accessible Web Content
>
> Contact America --
> Janet Daly, <[log in to unmask]>, +1.617.253.2613
> Contact Europe --
> Carine Rigaud <[log in to unmask]>, +33.1.41.18.85.55
> Christelle Moraga <[log in to unmask]>, +33.1.41.18.85.55
> Contact Asia --
> Yuko Watanabe <[log in to unmask]>, +81.466.49.1170
>
> Relevant URIs for this release:
>
> Press release
> English: http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-PressRelease.html.en
> French: http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-PressRelease.html.fr
> Japanese: http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-PressRelease.html.ja
>
> Testimonials
> http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-Testimonial.html
>
> Fact Sheet
> http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-FAQ.html
>
> Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 - Full Recommendation
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/
>
> List of Checkpoints for Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/atag10-chklist.html
>
> http://www.w3.org/ -- 3 February 2000 -- The World Wide Web Consortium
> (W3C) today announced the release of the "Authoring Tool Accessibility
> Guidelines 1.0" (ATAG 1.0) specification, providing guidance to
> developers on how to design accessible authoring tools that produce
> accessible Web content. As a W3C Recommendation, the specification is
> stable, contributes to the universality of the Web, and has been
> reviewed by the W3C Membership. W3C encourages developers to promote
> Web
> accessibility by implementing this Recommendation.
>
> ATAG 1.0 Provides Guidance for Tool Developers
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 explain how developers
> of authoring tools, such as HTML editors and site management tools,
> can
> encourage and assist in the production of accessible Web content
> through
> prompts, alerts, checking, repair functions, and help files in their
> tools. In addition to their value to accessibility, many of the
> principles addressed in the specification, such as the importance of
> producing and preserving valid markup, promote interoperability of the
> Web in general.
>
> The Guidelines address not only the accessibility of content produced
> by
> tools, but the accessibility of the tool itself. The Web is not a
> read-only medium, and accessible authoring tools will enable all
> people
> to publish to the Web, regardless of disability.
>
> ATAG 1.0 Will Contribute to Increase in Accessible Web Content
>
> There has been an increasing interest in creating accessible Web sites
> particularly since the May 1999 release of W3C's Web Content
> Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, and a correspondingly greater demand for
> tools that produce accessible content. Implementation of ATAG 1.0 will
> contribute to the proliferation of accessible Web content.
>
> "Most content on the web is created using authoring tools. If
> authoring
> tools seamlessly guide authors in creating accessible content, the
> wealth of information on the Web will become more accessible," said
> Jutta Treviranus, Chair of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
> Working Group and Director of the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre
> at
> the University of Toronto. "Just as important, the Web as a means of
> expression should not be reserved for people without disabilities.
> These
> guidelines promote authoring tools that create content that is
> accessible, and authoring tools that are usable by people with
> disabilities, thereby cultivating a World Wide Web that we can all
> participate in."
>
> ATAG 1.0 Addresses a Wide Array of Authoring Tools
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 address a broad range
> of
> tools, including WYSIWYG editors, "save-as-HTML" conversion tools,
> tools
> that dynamically generate content from databases, formatting tools,
> image editors, and site management tools.
>
> ATAG 1.0 consists of twenty-eight requirements, called "checkpoints,"
> for developing accessible authoring tools that produce accessible
> content. The checkpoints are organized according to seven overriding
> design principles, called "guidelines."
>
> As with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, ATAG 1.0
> checkpoints have three priority levels, which correspond to their
> importance for accessibility. There is a checklist providing a quick
> overview of the checkpoints by priority. W3C has made icons available
> for products claiming any one of the three conformance levels.
>
> Broad Support, Multiple Implementations Under Development
>
> The ATAG 1.0 Recommendation was written by members of the Authoring
> Tool
> Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG), composed of key
> industry
> players as well as disability and research organizations. A list of
> AUWG
> members is available.
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is preparing
> a
> variety of implementation support materials to assist developers,
> including the "Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility," published
> today as a W3C Note. At the time of this release, every requirement of
> the Guidelines has been implemented by one or more existing tools,
> though no tool yet satisfies all checkpoints. In addition, authoring
> tool developers are planning ATAG 1.0 support in upcoming products,
> indicated among the wide range of testimonials.
>
> About the Web Accessibility Initiative
>
> W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), in partnership with
> organizations around the world, is pursuing accessibility of the Web
> through five activities:
>
> 1.ensuring that core technologies of the Web support accessibility;
> 2.developing guidelines for Web content, user agents, and authoring
> tools;
> 3.developing evaluation and repair tools for accessibility;
> 4.conducting education and outreach;
> 5.coordinating with research and development that can affect future
> accessibility of the Web.
>
> The WAI International Program Office is supported in part by funding
> from the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of
> Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
> Research, European Commission's DG XIII Telematics Applications
> Programme for Disabled and Elderly, the Government of Canada, IBM,
> Lotus
> Development Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Bell Atlantic. For
> more information see http://www.w3.org/WAI.
>
> About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]
>
> The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by
> developing
> common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its
> interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly
> run
> by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the USA, the
> National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control
> (INRIA)
> in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the
> Consortium include: a repository of formation about the World Wide Web
> for developers and users, reference code implementations to embody and
> promote standards, and various prototype and sample applications to
> demonstrate use of new technology. To date, 390 organizations are
> Members of the Consortium. For more information see http://www.w3.org/
>
> -----------------
>
> TESTIMONIALS
>
> Those who provided tesimonials in support of the W3C Authoring Tool
> Accessibility Guidelines include:
>
> American Association of People with Disabilities; Access to
> Information
> Task Force; Amaya; Bell Atlantic Corporation; The Boeing Corporation;
> Electricité de France; Hong Kong Blind Union; HTML Writers Guild; IBM;
> Internet Advisory Council, Government of Canada; Microsoft
> Corporation;
> Ministry of Science and Technology, Portugal; RealNetworks; Royal
> National Institute for the Blind; Sausage Software Limited; SID@R; and
> SoftQuad Software.
>
> People with disabilities have long been excluded from new
> technologies.
> A growing technology gap threatens to increase the high rates of
> unemployment and exclusion that people with disabilities face in the
> United States and worldwide. AAPD, the largest cross-disability
> membership organization in the U.S., enthusiastically welcomes these
> new
> guidelines which will help make the Web more accessible to the
> constituency we represent. AAPD encourages all Web site developers to
> demand authoring tools that implement these guidelines and that can be
> used to maximize the participation of all in the Web community.
> -- Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO, American Association of
> People
> with Disabilities
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, together with W3C's Web
> Content Accessibility Guidelines issued last spring, represent a sea
> change for the Internet. If tools implementing these guidelines are
> placed in the hands of Web designers, accessibility will be the
> standard
> outcome of Web site development. By making the tools themselves
> accessible for individuals with disabilities, the opportunity to
> participate in the global community of the Internet is opened to all.
> The Access to Information Task Force applauds the work of WAI and
> pledges our efforts to promote use of these guidelines.
> -- Paul W. Schroeder, Chair, Access to Information Task Force, which
> includes: The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), The American
> Council of the Blind (ACB), The Association for Education and
> Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), and the
> National Industries for the Blind (NIB).
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines represent a major step
> forward that will allow for the creation of accessible Web pages.
> W3C's
> Amaya team wholeheartedly supports these guidelines, and has already
> started implementing the guidelines in Amaya, W3C's Web browser/editor
> test bed. Implementing and demonstrating W3C Recommendations is the
> main
> purpose of Amaya, and implementing the Authoring Tool Accessibility
> Guidelines will be among the top priorities of the Amaya development
> team.
> -- Irène Vatton, Amaya Architect, W3C/INRIA
>
> As a company dedicated to accessible communications, Bell Atlantic
> would
> welcome the availability of commercial-grade authoring tools to
> automate
> the creation of accessible web sites. The incredible potential of the
> Internet will not be fully achieved unless all users -- including
> those
> with disabilities -- can successfully participate in the e-commerce,
> information and entertainment opportunities offered on-line. We salute
> the W3C's success in bringing industry and the disability community
> together to develop accessibility guidelines, and we encourage
> Internet
> users on both sides of the monitor to support Web accessibility.
> -- Tom Tauke, Senior Vice President, Bell Atlantic
>
> When Boeing says the Web can help us do business with "anyone,
> anywhere,
> any time," we mean anyone. Both our external Web site and our intranet
> are used by a large and diverse base of customers, employees,
> suppliers,
> and partners. We are committed to making those sites accessible to all
> users, including people with disabilities. Boeing applauds the Web
> Accessibility Initiative's efforts to simplify the development of
> accessible sites and encourages our vendors to adopt the Authoring
> Tool
> Accessibility Guidelines."
> -- Ann Bassetti, Web Products Manager, Boeing Shared Services Group,
> The
> Boeing Company
>
> Electricité de France is a group that employs a large number of
> disabled
> people, some of them with severe handicaps. We welcome this
> Recommendation as a new step towards more accessible work environments
> we could provide them. From a business to consumer point of view, we
> wish to greet a specification that will allow us, if tool vendors
> conform to these guidelines, to establish better contacts with our
> customers.
> -- Laurent Prevosto and Daniel Glazman, Electricité de France
>
> Since the design of Web pages affects accessibility of Web sites for
> people with visual impairments, the Hong Kong Blind Union supports the
> Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines which will help protect our
> equal rights to access the Web. Availability of authoring tools that
> support these guidelines will help organizations make their Web sites
> accessible. The Hong Kong Blind Union will promote awareness and
> implementation of the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines to our
> government, public sector, and private sector.
> -- Mr. Chong Chan Yau JP, President, Hong Kong Blind Union
>
> The World Wide Web was originally envisioned as a read-AND-write
> medium;
> Web users are active participants, not a passive audience. The
> Authoring
> Tool Accessibility Guidelines embody that vision, promoting the
> creation
> of software to let everyone fully participate in the Web, as content
> creators and content users.
> -- Kynn Bartlett, President, HTML Writers Guild.
>
> IBM supports this W3C Recommendation and recognizes it as the standard
> for authoring tool accessibility. The Recommendation sets a
> challenging
> bar for tool manufacturers to meet, but, once met, it will benefit not
> only the tool users, but the millions of people who need accessible
> Web
> content. Our own TopPage and WebSphere Studio tools will
> be meeting checkpoints and aiding in the production of accessible
> content. IBM's participation in W3C and development of Home Page
> Reader
> are additional initiatives helping to make e-business accessible for
> everyone.
> -- Jeffrey Barnett, IBM WebSphere Product Manager
>
> We are pleased to see W3C encouraging the development of Web software
> products to enhance accessibility of Web sites through provision of
> guidelines that will facilitate development of such products. We
> understand the guidelines
> will enable software suppliers to provide authoring tools that
> facilitate the creation of accessible Web-based services and
> information. Canadians are increasingly using the Web as a tool for
> electronic commerce and personal development such as distance
> learning.
> Sites which facilitate access by all Canadians will obviously have an
> advantage.
> -- Eleanor Zazaluk, Chair, Internet Advisory Committee, Treasury Board
> Secretariat, Government of Canada
>
> The Authoring Tool guidelines are a highly leveraged step toward more
> accessible Web sites. Widespread adoption of the guidelines by
> companies
> that produce authoring tools - and in turn, widespread use of those
> tools - will make accessible Web sites the default rather than the
> exception. In addition, the guidelines can help encourage the
> wide range of manufacturers to make their authoring tools more usable
> by
> people with
> disabilities. Microsoft is proud to have been an active contributor to
> the development of these
> guidelines.
> -- Greg Lowney, Director of Accessibility, Microsoft Corp.
>
> The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines help fulfill two basic
> needs
> of people with disabilities on the Web: access and participation. In
> July, 1999 the Portuguese Government's Council of Ministers approved a
> resolution requiring accessible Web content on public administration
> Web
> sites. The Ministry of Science and Technology will monitor, evaluate
> and
> support Web authoring tools that make this task easier. Web authoring
> tools are critical for education, work and full participation in the
> "Internet Society," and should be based on principles of accessible
> software design which enable authoring by people with disabilities.
> -- Francisco Godinho, Adviser for the National Initiative for Citizens
> with Special Needs in the Information Society - Ministry of Science
> and
> Technology, Portugal
>
> The full potential of the Web will only be realized when all the rich
> sources of information and content it contains are fully accessible.
> The
> W3C's Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines offers a significant
> enabling foundation that provides consistent support in Web content
> authoring tools for the creation of Web content that is accessible by
> all users. As a leading innovator in web-based multimedia and rich Web
> experiences, RealNetworks supports these guidelines and we fully
> intend
> to implement support for the guidelines in upcoming products.
> -- Ben Rotholtz, General Manager, Systems and Tools, RealNetworks
>
> The Royal National Institute for the Blind cannot overstress the
> important role that the World Wide Web Consortium is playing in
> recommending Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, which support
> accessible content development and accessibility of the tools
> themselves. We fully endorse all steps taken that enhance the
> possibility of
> accessing electronic data across the Web by visually impaired people
> and
> people with other disabilities.
> -- Steve Tyler, Royal National Institute for the Blind
>
> Sausage welcomes the release of the Authoring Tool Accessibility
> Guidelines as a W3C Recommendation, and will implement and promote
> awareness of the Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative to deliver
> increased functionality to
> customers of our HotDog Web authoring tools.
> -- Rob Oliphant - General Manager Internet Tools, Sausage Software
> Limited
>
> The SID@R (Web Accessibility Initiatives Seminar) of Real Patronato,
> Spain, considers that it is especially important that all people can
> be
> authors of information on the Web, as well as readers. The Authoring
> Tool Accessibility Guidelines are a comprehensive and clear document,
> and we will be pleased to have tools available that
> implement these guidelines that will enable more people to create Web
> content and to use the
> Web. SIDAR will promote awareness and implementation of these
> guidelines.
> -- Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, SID@R Coordinator
>
> Making the Web accessible to everyone is an important activity for
> W3C,
> and one which SoftQuad Software fully supports. The release of the
> Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Recommendation continues this
> fine work. Our award-winning Web site creation tool, HoTMetaL PRO, was
> the first to incorporate several accessibility features, including
> prompting, to help make both browsing and authoring for the Web
> accessible to everyone.
> -- Roberto Drassinower, CEO, SoftQuad Software Inc.
>
> Les Guides d'Accessibilité des Outils Auteur représentent un grand pas
> en avant pour la création de futures pages Web accessibles. Toute
> l'équipe Amaya du W3C supporte de tout coeur ces guides et a déjà
> commencé leur implémentation dans Amaya, l'éditeur/navigateur
> expérimental du W3C. L'implémentation et la démonstration des
> recommandations du W3C est la tâche principale de Amaya, et
> l'implémentation des Guides d'Accessibilité des Outils Auteur sera
> l'une
> des grandes priorités de l'équipe de développement de Amaya.
> -- Irène Vatton, Amaya Architect, W3C/INRIA
>
> Electricité de France est un groupe qui emploie un grand nombre de
> personnels handicapés, certains souffrant d'un handicap très
> important.
> Nous accueillons très favorablement cette proposition de
> Recommandation
> qui représente pour nous un nouveau pas vers la fourniture
> d'environnements de travail adaptés à ces employés. Dans une optique
> plus Service, nous saluons une spécification qui nous permettra, si
> elle
> est respectée par les outils de production, de meilleurs contacts avec
> nos clients.
> -- Laurent Prevosto and Daniel Glazman, Electricité de France
>
> El SID@R (Seminario de Iniciativas sobre Discapacidad y Accesibilidad
> en
> la Red) del Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con
> Minusvalía, considera especialmente importante que todas las personas
> puedan ser autores de información en la Web, tanto como lectores. Las
> Directrices de Accesibilidad para Herramientas de Autor constituyen un
> documento claro y exhaustivo, y nos complacería contar con
> herramientas
> que siguiesen dichas pautas, lo que capacitaría a más personas para
> crear contenidos y para usar la Web. El SID@R promueve el conocimiento
> y
> uso de esas directrices.
> -- Emmanuelle Gutiérrez y Restrepo, SID@R Coordinator
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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