There is a new activity called the CEN/ISSS Workshop on Specifications
for a European certification scheme concerning the delivery of a
Quality Mark for Web Content Accessibility. The first meeting will be
next Thursday (April 13th) in Brussels.
The work programme is contained in the draft business plan, which is
posted on the CEN/ISSS web-site at
http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/
activity/design+for+all.asp
As most of you know, the Dublin Core Usage Board has approved the work
done on accessibility by the DC Accessibility Working Group in
collaboration with IMS Global and others. There has been no formal
announcement as the final details are still being processed.
The approach being adopted by these groups is to say that
accessibility, in the end, depends on the user getting what they need -
that is the only real test of accessibility, and it is achieved by
matching two metadata profiles - the user's needs and preferences and
the resource or services' accessibility characteristics.
We are all in agreement, then, that we want common vocabulary standards
for these metadata sets and that we will work with those we developed
which are available at http://www.imsglobal.org/accessibility/
The position that DC Accessibility therefore will take on this
initiative in Europe is one of great support. It will be wonderful if
it is possible to find out about resources and services in a standard
way across at least the European resources and services (others are, of
course, doing the same on other continents).
This means that we will support the development of a qualities
description mark and hopefully can provide experts to participate in
this work.
I would like comments on the above and to know of anyone able to
contribute time and resources to this very important effort.
The full announcement of the meeting and workshop are below.
Liddy
-----------------
Subject: Announcement of proposal for a new CEN/ISSS Workshop on
Specifications for a European certification scheme concerning the
delivery of a Quality Mark for Web Content Accessibility
Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
The CEN Administrative Board, in its meeting of 1997-12-9/10, agreed on
the concepts of CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) elaboration within the
operational framework of CEN/ISSS as is described in the CEN/ISSS
Workshop Rules of Operation (Resolution CA 31/1997).
In this context, we would like to formally announce the intended
establishment of a new CEN/ISSS Workshop called WS-WCA. The Workshop
will take further work that is taking place within the EC IST project
Support-EAM, and will seek to a first level European agreement on a
European certification scheme concerning the delivery of a Quality Mark
for Web Accessibility.
In line with the CEN/ISSS Workshop Rules of Operation, we are now
asking the CEN Members to consider this Workshop proposal and to send
back their comments to the CEN/ISSS Secretariat, by 4 March 2005.
We would also like to invite the CEN Members to widely distribute the
plans for this new Workshop to their national networks.
The work programme is contained in the draft business plan, which is
made available to the ISSS Forum members attached to this letter, and
which will be also be posted on the CEN/ISSS web-site at
http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/
activity/design+for+all.asp
The Workshop Secretariat is proposed to be taken by AFNOR, in view of
the fact that they have been in charge of the Workshop's preparation
together with the Workshop proposers.
The formal Kick-Off Meeting of the Workshop is planned to take place in
the CEN premises on 29 March 2005. A draft agenda for the meeting will
be provided in the coming days through the CEN/ISSS web-site.
Nominations for the position of Chairman shall be sent to Luc Van den
Berghe, ISSS Workshop Manager, at [log in to unmask] before 4
March 2005. The election of the Workshop officials as well as the
formal allocation of the Workshop secretariat will be carried out
during the kick-off meeting.
|
