#29768: Hello there,
I've been skimming through 'Design Accessible Web Sites' beta 4.0 and it all looks great! There seems to be quite a focus on the US, though. I can't speak for other parts of the world, but I thought that it could be useful to include a bit more references, commentary and analysis on what's going on in Europe. In section 16.3 on p. 291, the link provided to EDeAN doesn't work for me; the correct one is www.e-accessibility.org/
I've also put together some links to web accessibility standards, compliance labels and policy initiatives in Europe - you might or might not want to refer to them in the book; I'd find some comment on their merit and usefulness helpful - especially comment on the more specific proposals such as the CEN/CENELEC Guide 6 (which I haven't read because it costs 75 euros!) and the ETSI and CEN Workshop Agreement specifications. Also I'd find interesting any comments you have on steps being taken in European countries outside the UK - whether by EDeAN national centres or not.
I hope you find these comments useful.
Yours,
Duncan MacKenzie
e: reg.pragprog.m@ckdj.fea.st
t: +44 7789 716691
* EuroAccessibility Consortium: supposedly at www.euroaccessibility.org/ but presentation available at www.braillenet.org/accessibilite/cellule/presentations/about_euroaccess/about_euroaccess/Overview-3.html
* European Commission: Information Society Portal: eAccessibility: ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/policy/accessibility/index_en.htm and areas linking from there (the wider field of e-Inclusion and narrower one of Design for All).
* EDeAN (European Design for All e-Accessibility Network): www.e-accessibility.org/ with National Contact Centres at www.edean.org/about.asp?selectedcategory=3 and related projects:
- Design for All for e-Inclusion: www.dfaei.org/
- Inclusive Design Curriculum Network: www.idcnet.info/
- Design for All Network of Excellence: www.d4allnet.gr/
- Design for All Education and Training: www.education.edean.org/
* CENELEC: www.cenelec.org/ - with CEN (see below), published the CEN/CENELEC Guide 6 (e-Accessibility), which is technically identical to ISO/IEC Guide 71 for ICT standardization
* European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Technical Committee on Human Factors: www.etsi.org/WebSite/Technologies/HumanFactors.aspx - Standards
* CEN ISSS (Information Society Standardization System; ICT): eAccessibility and Design for All: www.cen.eu/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/activity/design+for+all.asp and www.cen.eu/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/cwa/design+for+all+in+ict.asp - including:
- CEN Workshop Agreement 15554: Specifications for a complete European Web Accessibility certification scheme and a Quality Mark - WS/WAC (June 2006): ftp.cenorm.be/PUBLIC/CWAs/e-Europe/WAC/CWA15554-00-2006-Jun.pdf
* ICT Standards Board, Design for All and Assistive Technologies Standardization Co-ordination Group (DATSCG): www.ictsb.org/DATSCG_home.htm
* European ICT Industry Association, eAccessibility White Paper: www.eicta.org/fileadmin/user_upload/document/document1166614008.pdf--Duncan MacKenzie
