Reconsidering WCAG-based software requirements omitted from EN 301 549 v.3.2.1

When EN 301 549 v.3.2.1 was being created I was a co-facilitator of the W3C WCAG2ICT Task Force and felt that, in the interest of global consistency, we should not try to re-write any of the WCAG2ICT proposals. It was this that caused both ourselves, and the US Access Board, to omit several quite important requirements for software from EN 301 549 and Section 508 because of the way that they were written.

The WCAG2ICT Task Force were constrained by not in any way re-writing WCAG Success Criteria, and were thus constrained into making word substitutions for web-based terms, and adding notes to clarify. In this iteration of updating EN 301 549, I see significant merit in ignoring these constraints that limited what the WCAG2ICT Task Force could publish, if the end-result is a valuable and testable accessibility requirement.

This suggested rethink will primarily affect the following Success Criteria when applied to software:

• 2.4.1 - "Bypass Blocks" - see Issue #279 (closed)
• 2.4.5 - "Multiple Ways" - see Issue #280 (closed)
• 3.2.3 - "Consistent Navigation" - see Issue #281 (closed)
• 3.2.4 - "Consistent Identification" - see Issue #282 (closed)
• 3.2.6 - "Consistent Help" - already under discussion in Issue #16 (closed)

Separate issues have been created for each of these software success criteria (as linked above).

In addition, Issue #275 (closed) challenges the omission of 11.2.4.2 "Page titled" from EN 301 549.