Dear list,
Not sure if this is exactly the place to ask, but I am very eager to get
any authoritative (and by now, 'authoritative' can be qualified by
anybody who's so much as seen one) information on screen readers.
I am a css-enthusiastic web designer who sees the value of standards as
a concept but does not necessarily bow to baseless trends, and more and
more I see potentially brilliant ideas get shot down in the community
because of 'standards' zealots who are very keen to violently condemn
certain methods of working because of very dim notions of accessibility.
While there is always common sense to fall back on, and we are lucky
enough to live in a world with such a thing as the w3c, there are times
when I become suspicious of accessibility precepts. "You can't do this
because screen readers will mess it up" is incredibly common for
inexperienced, adventurous web designers, before their imagination and
creative approach to code is finally conditioned out of them without
their ever being too sure why.
Despite the fact I haven't been able to find anyone who has ever used a
screen reader, I (have no choice but to) respect the notion that web
sites should allow them a seamless, fulfilling, experience. I am
obviously not doing this for any practical reward - as I've mentioned I
have never had any contact with a screen reader user - for all I care
they could not actually exist; but as a challenge to a very pure state
of markup, the grail of smooth screen-reader navigation is worth achieving.
Only I can never know if I have achieved it, because I can't test it;
nor can I find anybody else to test for me, or even pin-point known
problems.
I think the myth surrounding screen readers is an incredibly bad thing
because it fills the community with superstition. A great many otherwise
intelligent, adventurous and imaginative potential innovators in the
world of web design are completely crippled by this thing that they have
no experience of whatsoever - it may as well be imaginary.
w3c's accessibility guidelines are highly revered, and for the most part
there is good cause for this - and as I've said I am a supporter of the
notion of standardisation - but when talking about the precepts of
design for the blind, I become very cynical because this stuff is pure
idle theory from sighted people.
I would love any links to articles/archived polemic/research studies/the
appropriate list... If anybody here has actual experience of a screen
reader, I would be overjoyed to hear from them.
Likewise, if this is wholly irrelevant to this list then please tell me. :)
Regards,
Barney
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