Editing Web Accessibility Initiative (section)

==Organization==
WAI develops guidelines and other technical reports through the same process as other parts of the W3C.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/w3c-process |title=How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Like other W3C initiatives, the WAI consists of several [[working groups]] and [[Special interest group]]s, each with its own focus. Only working groups can produce technical reports that become W3C recommendations. A working group can sometimes delegate specific work to a [[task force]], which then presents its results back to the working group for approval. Interest groups may produce reports (for example, as W3C Notes), but not recommendations.
Each of these types of groups (working group, task force, interest group) can have one or more mailing lists. They meet through [[conference calls]] at regular intervals (typically every week or every other week) and sometimes use web-based surveys to collect input or comments from participants. They can also meet face to face (one to five times per year).

In 1997 Judy Brewer has been the director of the WAI.<ref>{{cite web|title=Judy Brewer|url=https://www.w3.org/People/Brewer/ |website=W3C|access-date=8 June 2023}}</ref> In this role she has championed improving accessibility of the web for people with disabilities and older users.

===Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (ATAG&nbsp;WG)===
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group develops guidelines, techniques and supporting resources for tools that create web content, ranging from desktop [[HTML editor]]s to [[content management system]]s.
The accessibility requirements apply to two types of things: the user interface on the one hand, and the content produced by the tool on the other.
The working group consists of representatives from organizations that produce authoring tools, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
The working group produced the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 in 2000 and completed Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Richards|first1=Jan|last2=Spellman|first2=Jeanne|last3=Treviranus|first3=Jutta|title=Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0|url=https://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG20/|website=World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)|access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> A supporting document, Implementing ATAG 2.0,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Richards|first1=Jan|last2=Spellman|first2=Jeanne|last3=Treviranus|first3=Jutta|title=Implementing ATAG 2.0|url=https://www.w3.org/TR/IMPLEMENTING-ATAG20/|website=World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)|access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> provides additional explanation, examples and resources for ATAG 2.0. It also published a document on Selecting and Using Authoring Tools for Web Accessibility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/impl/software.html |title=Selecting and Using Authoring Tools for Web Accessibility |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

===Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG)===
The Education and Outreach Working Group develops materials for training and education on Web accessibility. This working group has produced documents on a wide range of subjects, including:
* Accessibility Features of CSS<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS-access |title=Accessibility Features of CSS – W3C NOTE 4 August 1999 |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* Curriculum for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/wcag-curric/ |title=Curriculum for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility, a suite of documents about subjects such as conformance evaluation, evaluation approaches for specific contexts, involving users in web accessibility evaluation, and selecting web accessibility evaluation tools<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/ |title=Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* Planning Web Accessibility Training<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/training/ |title=Planning Web Accessibility Training |publisher=W3.org |date=21 February 2013 |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/ |title=Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization : overview |publisher=W3.org |date=7 September 2012  |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* How People with Disabilities Use the Web, a document that describes various fictitious characters with disabilities and how they use the Web in different scenarios<ref name="pwduseweb">{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html |title=How People with Disabilities Use the Web |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* many introduction pages on the WAI website.

Currently, the working group has a task force to support the work done in the WAI-AGE project. This project published a document that reviews literature about the needs of older users and compares these needs with those of people with disabilities as already addressed in WAI guidelines.<ref>[http://www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/ WAI-AGE Project (IST 035015)]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-age-literature/ |title=Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review – W3C Working Draft 14 May 2008 |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

The Education and Outreach Working Group can also review working drafts produced by other WAI working groups.

===Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG)===
The Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group develops technical specifications that support the accessibility evaluation and repair of Web sites. It also maintains a database of tools for evaluating Web sites and for making them more accessible ("repair", "retrofitting").
The working group consists mainly of developers of such tools and researchers.
Current work focuses on
* '''Evaluation and Report Language (EARL)''': a language for expressing evaluation reports in a machine-readable way<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/EARL10-Schema/ |title=Evaluation and Report Language 1.0 Schema |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref><ref>Evaluation and Report Language 1.0 Guide</ref>
* '''HTTP Vocabulary in RDF''', which specifies how [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] requests and responses can be expressed in [[Resource Description Framework|RDF]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/HTTP-in-RDF/ |title=HTTP Vocabulary in RDF |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
* '''Representing Content in RDF''', which specifies how content (retrieved from the Web or a local storage device) can be represented in RDF<ref>[http://www.w3.org/TR/Content-in-RDF/ Representing Content in RDF]</ref>
* '''Pointer Methods in RDF''', early work on how locations in and parts of online documents can be expressed in RDF.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/Pointers/WD-Pointers-20080623 |title=Pointer Methods in RDF |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

===Protocols & Formats Working Group (PFWG)===
The Protocols & Formats Working Group reviews all W3C technologies for accessibility before they are published as a recommendation. It has also published a note on accessibility issues of [[CAPTCHA]],<ref>[http://www.w3.org/TR/turingtest/ Inaccessibility of CAPTCHA: Alternatives to Visual Turing Tests on the Web – W3C Working Group Note 23 November 2005]</ref> 
a paper on natural language usage for people with cognitive disabilities,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/natural-lang-20030326.html |title=Natural Language Usage – Issues and Strategies for Universal Access to Information |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref> and initial work on accessibility requirements for XML-based markup languages (XML Accessibility Guidelines).

In 2006, the working group started development of a set of document and specifications for accessible [[Rich Internet application|rich internet applications]]: [[WAI-ARIA]].<ref name="ariaroadmap2006">[http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-aria-roadmap-20060926/ Roadmap for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA Roadmap) – W3C Working Draft 26 September 2006]. This is the first public working draft; the most recent version can always be found at [http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-roadmap/ www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-roadmap/ w3.org]</ref><ref name="waiaria1">{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/ |title=Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) Version 1.0 – W3C Last Call Working Draft 24 February 2009 |publisher=W3.org |access-date=8 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="waiariabp">{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-practices/ |title=WAI-ARIA Best Practices – W3C Working Draft 24 February 2009 |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="waiariaimplementation">[http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-implementation/ WAI-ARIA Implementation Guide – W3C Working Draft 24 February 2009]</ref>

===Research and Development Interest Group (RDIG)===
The goal of the Research and Development Interest Group is 
* to increase the incorporation of accessibility considerations into research on Web technologies, and
* to identify projects researching Web accessibility and suggest research questions that may contribute to new projects.<ref name="rdigcharter2005">{{cite web|author=Judy Brewer |url=http://www.w3.org/WAI/RD/charter2 |title=Research and Development Interest Group (RDIG) Charter |publisher=W3.org |access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

This interest group has seen very little activity since 2004. Its current charter expired at the end of 2006.<ref name="rdigcharter2005" />

===User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG)===
The User Agent Accessibility Guideline Working Group develops guidelines, techniques and other documents to promote the accessibility of [[user agent]]s: [[Web browser|browsers]] and [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-ins]].
The working group consists mainly of organizations that develop user agents, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
UAWG published User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0 in December 2015.  Supporting documentation includes: UAAG 2.0 Reference and UAAG Mobile Examples. The working group published User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0) as a W3C Recommendation in 2002.

===WAI Interest Group (WAI IG)===
The WAI Interest Group is an open group with a mailing list to which anyone can subscribe. W3C staff post announcements of new WAI documents to this mailing list to invite reviews and comments. Members of the list also post announcements of relevant events and publications, and ask advice on issues related to web accessibility. The language of the mailing list is English; there are no parallel mailing lists in other languages.

===Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AGWG)===
The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (formerly the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Initiative (WAI) |first=W3C Web Accessibility |date=2024-05-13 |title=WAI Working Groups and Interest Groups |url=https://www.w3.org/WAI/about/groups/ |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) |language=en}}</ref> produces guidelines, techniques and other supporting documents relating to the accessibility of Web content. Web content refers to any information you may find on a Web site: text, images, forms, sound, video, etcetera, regardless whether these were produced on the server side or on the client side (with a [[Client-side scripting| client-side scripting language]] such as [[JavaScript]]). Thus, the guidelines also apply to [[Rich Internet application|rich internet applications]].

The working group consists of representatives from industry, accessibility consultancies, universities, organizations that represent end users, and other accessibility experts.

The working group published the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) as W3C Recommendation in 1999, followed by techniques documents in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lastcallmedia.com/blog/brief-history-wcag|title=A brief history of WCAG|author-first=Abby|author-last=Kingman|date=21 May 2018|website=Last Call Media|access-date=8 June 2023}}</ref>
In 2001, the working group started work on WCAG 2.0, which became a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008.<ref>[http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-WCAG20-20081211/ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 – W3C Recommendation 11 December 2008]</ref><ref>W3C: [http://www.w3.org/2008/12/wcag20-pressrelease.html W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web] (press release, 11 December 2008).</ref>

===WAI Coordination Group===
The WAI Coordination Group co-ordinates that activities of the WAI working groups (and interest groups). Its activities are not public.