Accessibility Guidelines "Silver" Task Force Work Statement
Status
The Silver Task Force was approved on 4 November 2016 and is now active. The Task Force home page contains information about the operation and resources of the group.
Objective
The objective of the task force is to perform preliminary development of a new version of Accessibility Guidelines following a research-focused, user-centered design methodology to produce the most effective and flexible outcome. Code-named “Silver”, these guidelines will address the process of making content and functionality accessible to people with disabilities, including the roles of content authoring, user agent support, and authoring tool support. These guidelines will address current technological and cultural web accessibility requirements and provide a base for continued evolution of the guidelines.
Scope of Work
The work of the task force includes:
- Propose options of plans to update the Accessibility Guidelines WG and choose an option;
- Identify stakeholders;
- Design research studies and timelines to perform research about appropriate structure and features of future guidelines;
- Perform research and report on findings;
- Interpret, analyze, and report on research findings;
- Create and refine prototypes and choose an option;
- Develop Requirements for Silver;
- Write an initial editor’s draft of Silver in coordination with the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group.
Approach
The Silver Task Force is intended to be an intensive focused group to develop a solid proposal for the structure and content of Silver. In order to have a more flexible result, the task force will incorporate a diverse set of perspectives throughout the process. Input will be collected via surveys, requests for input, polls, etc. and sent via diverse channels (i.e., mailing lists, organizations, meetups, etc.) in order to include those who have valuable perspectives but may not have the time or resources to more directly take part in the development of the project. To enable this, participants in the task force are expected to devote substantial amounts of time, forming a small but active group.
The task force will coordinate regularly with the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group to keep the larger base of participants informed and receive guidance from the WG.
Liaisons
The Silver Task Force depends on the Accessibility Guidelines WG to ensure accurate interpretation and representation of AG requirements;
The task force will coordinate with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) where necessary to improve communication with the public, and improve the writing, presentation, and educational value of developed materials.
The task force will coordinate with the Research Questions Task Force for advice on research methodologies, input from relevant research coordinated by the RQTF, and to avoid overlaps in scope.
The task force will coordinate with the APA Working Group for input from its specification review and user requirements work and their implications for upcoming W3C technologies.
Communication
All communications of the subgroup are publicly available. Minutes are publicly and archived as a W3C email list. Some research results may be anonymized.
Communication mechanisms include:
- Up-to-date task force homepage;
- Publicly archived mailing list;
- Public GitHub and Wiki spaces;
- Public group surveys and minutes;
- Regular updates to the AG WG;
- Scheduled deliverable reviews.
Participation
To join the Silver Task Force, individuals must be participants of Accessibility Guidelines WG. Participants are expected to actively contribute to the work of the task force, including:
- Substantial and consistent task force work (this time also counts towards the individual’s participation requirement in the AG WG);
- Remain current on the task force mailing list and respond in a timely manner to postings;
- Participate regularly in task force telephone meetings, or send regrets ahead of time.
This task force has two recognized levels of participation: a core contributing eight hours or more per week, and a larger group contributing two to four hours per week on a consistent basis.
If you are interested in becoming a participant of the Silver Task Force or have any questions regarding its work, contact the task force facilitators.
Current Silver Task Force participants
Facilitation
Staff contacts from the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group oversee attention to W3C Process with respect to the chartered requirements of the Working Group. The facilitators set agenda, lead meetings, determine consensus, and are the primary liaison to the Working Group.
- Facilitators: Shawn Lauriat, Jeanne Spellman
- Staff Contact: Kevin White
Patent Policy
This Task Force is part of the AG Working Group Charter, which operates under the W3C Patent Policy (5 February 2004 Version). W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the AG Working Group.
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