WAI-ACT - Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) - Cooperation Framework for Guidance on Advanced Technologies, Evaluation Methodologies, and Research Agenda Setting to Support eAccessibility

Research Agenda Setting to Support eAccessibility, will address critical areas of advanced accessibility support through activities that build upon the strengths of past web accessibility work, harmonise existing work, and help shape a research agenda in coordination with key stakeholders in Europe and internationally. There is a need for expanded European and international cooperation on the development of accessibility solutions for people with disabilities; for consensus-based, authoritative technical guidance to accelerate implementation of advanced technologies; for internationally harmonised evaluation methodologies; and for a coordinated research agenda on eAccessibility. WAI-ACT will address these challenges through development of a framework for open, expanded cooperation among European and international stakeholders, technical guidance on advanced web technologies; an evaluation methodology for web accessibility; and a research agenda for eAccessibility. Technical guidance will include a repository of information on accessibility support in web technologies, application notes on authoring accessible web page components, and code samples for web applications. WAI-ACT will result in: • expanded cooperation on the development of accessibility solutions; • authoritative accessibility guidance on advanced web technologies; • harmonised methodologies for evaluating accessibility of websites; • common visions for a coordinated eAccessibility research agenda. WAI-ACT will be lead and will build upon the strengths of the existing World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) cooperation mechanisms to facilitate strategic European and international participation throughout the project. WAI-ACT will also seek active exchange with relevant networks in Europe such as eAccess+, and coordinate standardisation activities such as EC Mandate M/376.