Can You Help to Make Web Apps Accessible?

You may think that it’s a lost cause trying to get web apps/pages that use AJAX and the like to work on today’s browsers and assistive technology. Sure, it’s a pig of a thing to sort out but you, dear reader, are not powerless. Some time back (September this year), the W3C working group for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) set out plans to address the various issues surrounding these types of non-trivial web pages (in other words, web pages that look/behave more like desktop applications).

• Press Release: W3C Announces Roadmap for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA)

Now they are after your help. The draft suite of documents that form the basis of ARIA’s work is up for public review. The three documents for review are:

• Roadmap for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA Roadmap)
• Roles for Accesible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA Roles)
• States and Properties Module for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA States and Properties)

Closing date for public review is 19th January. So, if you’ve been lamenting the state of play of AJAX and accessibility, now’s your chance to do something practical to help out.