Equity in WCAG 3

Disclaimer: this is Michael Cooper’s synthesis of the equity sub-group work and has not been fully vetted by the sub-group

Terms

Definition of equity

The term “equity” refers to the ability of people with diverse characteristics to access and understand content, and to participate effectively in processes.

Equity as state

• A state of equity means the full meaning of the term has been reached
• It is a hypothetical perfection that we can’t fully achieve in practice
• Describing the state is an important part of being on the road towards it

Equity as process

• To travel the road towards equity as a state, equity needs to be a process
• For accessibility, this starts with “nothing about us without us”
• An equitable process must encompass the full set of human diversity
• Simply focusing on accessibility could disenfranchise participants with important points of view
• An open listening mindset from all participants is important to making tangible progress

Scopes of equity

Equity in impact

• For us, equity in impact means our guidelines define and require comparable levels of real accessibility for all users
• We need ways to identify user needs and accessibility solutions for more groups about which we collectively have expertise
• We need to ensure that structural decisions about WCAG 3 do not leave inequity in impact

Equity in process

• An equitable outcome requires an equitable process
• This means bringing equity into the make-up of the WG
• It also means active attention to challenges to equity in our impact

This involves seeking broad participation, welcoming contributors, respecting viewpoints, accommodating language fluency and comprehension differences, using accessible tools and providing reasonable support if needed, and supporting multiple modes of interaction and discussion.

Structural equity

• Factors in the world outside AG impact equity, e.g., prevailing beliefs, laws and regulations, and institutional patterns
• The impact of our guidelines, and challenges to our process, will be influenced by these equity patterns
• We don’t control these issues but need to take them into account in our work

Equity-centered design

• An equity-centered design process is an intentional incorporation of equity into the work process
• This requires active exploration of equity challenges both to our impact and in our process
• It involves continuous improvement via cyclical check-ins, accountability, and refocusing efforts for the next cycle
• There is no single equity-centered design process; the model we have been using can be called “participatory design”

An Introduction to Equity-Centered Design

Pull request to requirements

Equity section proposed for WCAG 3 requirements

• The PR introduces these concepts and states equity as an opportunity and commitment for WCAG 3
• It suggests adopting a formal equity-centered design process
• The Equity Framework wiki page, which started as a working document, could be the starting point for organizing our efforts and taking public accountability for our progress

Next steps

• Our first step could be to document what an effective equity-centered design process looks like for our group
• As we adopt the process, we will need to set up a way to track our efforts, challenges, and successes