[WSG] longdesc use case examples in the wild
Hello Everyone, The W3C HTML 5 Working Group Chairs have decided to drop the longdesc attribute from the HTML specification after a poll on the issue [1] [2]. The Chairs' Decision states that: QUOTE This issue can be reopened if new information comes up. Examples of possible relevant new information include: * use cases that specifically require longdesc, * evidence that correct usage is growing rapidly and that that growth is expected to continue, or * widespread interoperable implementation. UNQUOTE I have been collecting examples of Longdesc Examples in the Wild. [3] Any examples or input would be appreciated. Thanks, Laura [1] HTML5 Working Group Decision on ISSUE-30 longdesc By Sam Ruby, Maciej Stachowiak, and Paul Cotton http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2010Aug/att-0112/issue-30-decision.html [2] ISSUE-30: include a longdesc attribute for images - Straw Poll for Objections http://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/40318/issue-30-objection-poll/results [3] http://www.w3.org/html/wg/wiki/LongdescRetention#Examples_with_No_Visual_Link_Text_Clutter Related References: Notice of Impending Formal Objection to HTML5 Issue 30 Decision (@longdesc) http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-a11y/2010Aug/0027.html Longdesc is Dead! Long Live Longdesc! http://www.cfit.ie/news-and-commentary-archive/525-longdesc-rip Strategic Decisions in a Strategy-less Environment http://burningbird.net/node/118 Podcast #83: Fate of Longdesc in HTML5 http://webaxe.blogspot.com/2010/08/podcast-83-fate-of-longdesc-in-html5.html Alone in the Pitch Black Dark http://www.cssquirrel.com/2010/08/16/comic-update-alone-in-the-pitch-black-dark/ No longdesc Attribute in HTML5 http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/201008/no_longdesc_attribute_in_html5/ How do we save longdesc? http://rebuildingtheweb.com/en/how-do-we-save-longdesc/ -- Laura L. Carlson *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org ***
[WSG] Alt Atrribute Survey via Twitter
Should the alt attribute be required for the img element in HTML5? Why or why not? Gez Lemon is conducting a twitter survey/taking comments for a W3C WAI position paper. He wants to be sure to consider all sides of the debate and is interested in hearing opinions. If you are a twitter user and would like to respond please use the hashtag #althtml5 . http://twitter.com/gezlemon/status/1139666244 Background info: http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/IssueAltAttribute Realtime comments: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=althtml5 Best Regards, Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org ***
[WSG] Re: ARIA
Progressive enhancement and accessibility. Hmmm. I am not sure about this There's a slight difference between progressive enhancement techniques and graceful degradation. Graceful degradation, tends to be that you try to do everything with the scripting and fall back if you can, whereas progressive enhancement means that you start just assuming that scripting is not available and add. It is geared towards the lowest common denominator. Best Regards, Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
[WSG] Re: ARIA
What about browsers that don't support ARIA markup? Graceful degradation (if the page is well written). Or progressive enhancement. Some references: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/javascript#access A good intro to WAI ARIA by Gez Lemon: http://dev.opera.com/articles/view/introduction-to-wai-aria/ Best Regards, Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
[WSG] HTML5 fiist working draft
The first working draft of HTML5 has been published at: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/ "...to make comments regarding this document, please send them to [EMAIL PROTECTED] feedback is welcome...The publication of this document by the W3C as a W3C Working Draft does not imply that all of the participants in the W3C HTML working group endorse the contents of the specification..." Public review and comments from outside the Working Group are needed, especially in regard to accessibility features being dropped or changed. "Differences Between HTML5 and HTML4" has also been published at: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5-diff/ The comments archive is at: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-comments/ Best Regards, Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
[WSG] Will HTML5 be a purely presentational language?
The following may be of interest to web standards folk who haven't been keeping up with the HTML Working Group and where HTML5 is headed: On 4/26/07, Ian Hickson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote [1]: There are people strongly arguing that HTML should be a purely presentational language, much, much more presentational than the proposed WHATWG draft. In fact, unless someone argues against it, it's likely that the W3C spec will be even less semantic and more presentational than the WHATWG draft. So if you think the WHATWG draft is already too presentational, I really encourage you to make your opinion known in the HTML working group. The official instructions for joining the HTML Working Group are at: http://www.w3.org/2004/01/pp-impl/40318/instructions Ian Hickson has some clearer instructions at: http://ln.hixie.ch/?start=1173385976&count=1 Laura [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-html/2007Apr/0171.html Related References: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-html/2007Apr/0168.html http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-html/ ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ *** List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
[WSG] Re: Setting Up Font Sizes
body { font-size: small; } Such a rule is saying, in effect, "the content on this page should be one size smaller than the user's comfortable reading size." Small font sizes for main body text is user-hostile. (The converse rarely seems to exist; it's unusual to find a site that is too big, although I suppose some must exist. Smaller fonts for navigation purposes, may be appropriate. Navigation bars are read differently, and are often set off visually (through columns, whitespace, etc.) that allow them to be read easily even when one size category smaller than normal. Footers and 'small print' are also appropriate for smaller font sizes. But main content in small text? I wouldn't advise it. Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: University textbook or other resources?
I've been asked if there are useful university-focused textbooks or other resources suitable for teaching accessible web design. As Lloyd and Matthew mentioned Joe Clark's "Building Accessible Websites", New Riders Publishing, 2002 is well worth considering. I have been using it for the web accessibility classes that I teach. The Clark book does not assume the reader understands the basics of web accessibility. I specifically chose it because of that and because it goes beyond simply repeating the "party line" from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) or Section 508. That is one of the purposes of the classes - to not just read the specifications, but actively engage them. Challenge, dissect, understand, and learn what makes the most sense. Also Joe put the whole book online[1] so if students don't want to purchase it for the class they don't have too. However, the soft cover version of the online book has screen shots and images. The online version does not. The Web Design Reference [2] is a huge online mega-reference (over 3,000 links) of information and articles about web design and development that you might find useful. It has a full section on books [3] as well as online resources (accessibility, CSS, usability, web standards, and many related topics are covered). You might also find the Web Design Update Newsletter [4] helpful. It is a plain text email digest that typically goes out once a week as an adjunct to the site. All the Best, Laura [1] http://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/ [2] http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ [3] http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/books#access [4] http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdevlist ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: Complex form - markup help?
On 10/20/05, Christian Montoya <[email hidden]> wrote: It looks like a data table to me. If you didn't use a table, you would probably use lists, which might be more confusing. I've had advise from [EMAIL PROTECTED] against using data table markup for forms because screen readers often have different modes for the navigation of tables and the navigation of forms. And if you provide information in a mix of data table markup and form markup, users may miss one or the other. See: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ig/2005JulSep/0196.html So if you do use a table to layout your form, you might want to consider it a layout table and not use structural data table markup. In this case, the content is generally considered part of a form, not a table. Form elements already provide ways for explicitly associating labels with inputs and legends with fieldsets. So, you do not need structural table elements and attributes in order to mark-up the relationship. Just be sure the layout table makes sense when linearized. So my take is... - The way you choose to go (layout table or CSS) depends upon your CSS knowledge. CSS layouts are becoming more popular, they are more standards compliment. Cameron Adams has a good CSS form examples, "Accessible, stylish form layout templates" [1]. Derek Featherstone also has some other good CSS form techniques at Simply Accessible[2]. However, some designers/developers revert back to tables when it comes to laying out a form because of the "complexities" involved. - The way you choose to go might also depend upon your knowledge of your audience (that is what software they'll be using to access a page) and the amount of cross-browser compatibility you want to accomplish. Some More References: CSS Forms http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css#forms Forms Accessibility http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#forms Forms Usability http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/usability#forms Laura [1] http://www.themaninblue.com/writing/perspective/2004/03/24/ [2] http://simplyaccessible.org/ ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] Click here--reference
Does anyone know a rule I can point to (and send my client to read) re accessibility and "click here"? Some References: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/navigation#clickhere Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] HR - Presentation or Structure?
Why should sighted people not be allowed to appreciate art online? Sighted people should be allowed to appreciate art online...and maybe not in the same way, but people with a disability should be able to appreciate them too. Some people think that images are bad for accessibility. The truth is that they can be of great benefit to the accessibility of a web page by providing illustrations, icons, animations, or other visual cues that aid comprehension for sighted individuals. Too often we forget that when we design for people with disabilities, we are not designing only for the blind. We must consider all disabilities types. Images can be especially useful to individuals with certain reading disabilities, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, or cognitive disabilities. The thing to remember with images is to make them accessible. The single most important thing you can do to make a web page accessible is to include alternative text for images with alt attributes. An alt attribute is used to specify alternative text. It is used to replace an image. That means that it serves the same function as the image. Users of screenreaders, language translation applications, text browsers, or some hand-held devices cannot directly access pictures and other graphics. Similarly, some users choose to turn picture loading off- especially those with slower dial-in connections. These users rely on alt attributes. When you make the decision to add alternative text, you include the many people who use talking browsers, screen readers, text browsers or browsers on small devices. Besides the alt attribute you have a few more tools at your disposal for images...title and longdesc attributes. A couple of things to keep in mind about these attributes are: First, in degree of descriptiveness title is in between alt and longdesc. It adds useful information and can add flavor. Second, the longdesc attribute points to the URL of a full description of an image. If the information contained in an image is important to the meaning of the page (i.e. some important content would be lost if the image was removed like in online art), a longer description than the "alt" attribute can reasonably display should be used. It can provide for rich, expressive documentation of a visual image. It should be used when alt and title are insufficient to embody the visual qualities of an image. As Joe Clark states in his book [1], "A longdesc is a long description of an image...The aim is to use any length of description necessary to impart the details of the graphic. It would not be remiss to hope that a long description conjures an image - the image - in the mind's eye, an analogy that holds true even for the totally blind." Laura [1] Clark, Joe. Building Accessible Websites, New Riders Publishing, 2002. ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] HR - Presentation or Structure?
I understand that HTML certainly can be interpreted on other mediums. You don't think it caters to one medium over another? Perhaps some web designers concentrate on a particular CSS media type [1] more than another. And perhaps on some web sites, sighted, dexterous, able-bodied users outnumber users with a disability. But HTML does not cater to a single media type. That's the beauty. HTML and (X)HTML are markup languages, designed for modeling the logical structure of information, not its appearance. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) control the visual appearance as well as other display media when using structural markup. The strengths of the web, which makes it unique as a medium of communication, is that it isn't limited to a visual-only output. A correctly designed web site would communicate effectively aurally as well as visually. Accessibility is not only about 'locking someone out' - everyone, after all, is a potential user of your site. But it is also about backward and forward compatibility, about writing one version of a web site (rather than several) that everyone, no matter how old or new their Internet device / OS / computer hardware, will be able to access in some way or other. Accessible web design is socially responsible and equitable web design. It shows that you are committed to providing equal access to web-based information to all people. It does not mean boring, as many will tell you. But there is an important point which shouldn't be overlooked. Most visitors to a web site are not coming there to look at it. They are coming there to accomplish a specific task. Almost invariably a simple interface will have high usability and high accessibility at the same time. What it comes down to is the ability to access information. A complete focus on the user (all users) stems from an understanding of why people are coming to your web site: Information. Accessibility is the effort toward providing equal access to the information to all-regardless of the methods they use to access it. Laura [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/media.html ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] HR - Presentation or Structure?
The web was built as a means to disseminate information. Patrick is correct. The web is not a visual medium. Some marketers, graphic artists and designers may be shocked to learn that. The web is an information medium. One way in which that information is conveyed is visually, to user agents ("web browsers"). But that's not the only way. HTML is designed with a specific structure that allows for semantic meaning and content to be conveyed independent of a particular means of representation. In other words, HTML can be interpreted in terms of visual display and appearance - but it doesn't have to be. When designers began designing only visual web pages during the "browser wars" as Patrick mentioned, they began to miss the boat skipping a lot of the true power of HTML, as it allows for far more than simply laying out pretty images and colors next to each other. Many web authors have had skewed mind sets in this respect, and only built visual web pages. Don't get me wrong, nothing is wrong with having a great visual representation. But be careful not to confuse the display of a web page with the actual page itself. This impacts visually impaired people. If your page is designed to be simply a visual object, you'll lose this audience (and any number of other non-visual browser agents), but if your page is structured around sound principles of semantic markup and intelligent presentation, it should be as usable for someone completely blind as for someone with perfect vision. Of course, users with visual impairments are not the only people with special needs that need to be kept in mind. Other disabilities, especially motor disabilities but including many others from lack of hearing to cognitive disabilities, and likewise have restricted access to websites. The goal should be to design in a way that includes everyone-that's the power of the web. Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: looking for an accessibility reference on why text-only is bad
Does anyone know of a good online article/resource to help me out? I have some text-only refs linked at: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#textonly Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: looking for an accessibility reference on why text-only is bad
Does anyone know of a good online article/resource to help me out? I have some text-only refs linked at: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#textonly Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: Standard for text email newsletters
I've been using the TEN format as a navigation aid for screenreaders in my Web Design Update Newsletter for over two and a half years now. All user feedback has been positive. Some comments from subscribers regarding what they like about the TEN format: - "Attention to accessible-friendliness" - "Clearly distinguished separate sections and articles" - "Summary of contents at the top of each issue" - "Attention to accessibility issues" - "Spacing between the heading and articles" - "Consistency and clear writing" - "Organization and format" - "The simplicity" - "Easy navigation through each issue" To date I haven't received any negative feedback. Web designers and developers are invited to join the webdev listserv and receive the Web Design Update. For information on how to subscribe visit: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdevlist Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] Learning to design Accessibility
Is there a resource that's available that is able to fill the gaps in my knowledge regarding accessibility? You might want to try: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] Superior Tutorials
Does anyone know of any superior tutorial sites for CSS. You might want to try the list at: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
[WSG] Re: Flyout menu questions
Some references: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/navigation#menus Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN, U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] Colour Scheme aids
Some color tools are listed at: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/tools#color The following might also be useful... Color Information: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/color Color Books: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/books#color Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] Solutions for testing in speech/text readers
fyi... Mac OS 10.4 Tiger, the next release of Apple's operating system, will have VoiceOver, a full-featured screen reader. More info: http://www.apple.com/ca/macosx/tiger/voiceover.html ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] thoughts of external links in new window?
Regarding external links in new window, like many of you I have the usual concerns. Although most users are familiar with the idea of closing external windows, some users will be confused. Some people with cognitive disabilities fit this description. Also changing the current window or popping up new windows can be very disorienting to users who cannot see that this has happened. Most users of assistive technology prefer not having to deal with multiple browser windows, especially unannounced ones. It's a spatial orientation issue. Keeping focus on multiple windows is often problematic for people with visual impairments. Finally, alternative user agents may not support multiple screen windows, and/or older machines may experience a performance hit if running multiple browser windows. If a client insists on having a link open in a new window, I would suggest explicitly warning the user with a clear indication that the page will open in a different window. Also it is a good idea to provide a title attribute with a description indicating that the link opens a new window. Some references: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/usability#popups Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] best way to format Skip Nav link
Some skip nav information that may be useful to you is listed at: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/navigation#skiplinks Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
RE: [WSG] accessible audio-visual content
You may find some of this information helpful: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#multimedia Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ Proud presenters of Web Essentials 04 http://we04.com/ Web standards, accessibility, inspiration, knowledge To be held in Sydney, September 30 and October 1, 2004 See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
Re: [WSG] .pdf files
What is the best practice for .pdf files? The University of Minnesota has an accessibility standard for PDFs that I try to follow. For PDF documents that cannot be converted to speech output that is readable by assistive technologies, and other PDF documents that cannot be converted to speech output accurately I convert them to alternate formats and provide other info. In order to do this for each PDF document I provide: 1. The information in an alternative accessible format: RTF, HTML, or text format. 2. A link to the appropriate plug-in. 3. A link to an accessibility plug-in or conversion site. 4. An alternative means of obtaining the information. 5. When feasible, information to be down-loaded shall be made available in a variety of file types. For number 1 above if the PDF content is also in a Word file someplace convert it to an RTF. If it isn't convert it to HTML at the Acrobat accessibility site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_simple_form.html For number 2 and 3 above use something like the following bit of HTML for the PDF warning: Please note this is a Portable Document Format (PDF) acrobat file. If you do not have Acrobat you can http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html";>download the Arroba viewerfrom Adobe. This download is for people who do not have Acrobat installed on their computers. It allows you to open and view a PDF file. Additional Adobe free tools are available to assist visually impaired users at http://access.adobe.com/";>access.adobe.com. If you need further assistance obtaining the information contained in these PDF files please contact us For number 4 post contact info (phone number/email). For number 5 above *if* a Word document is available post it also. One of the major problems with PDF concerns accessibility issues associated with the document format, but this is only part of the problem. Even when users have the technology required to access information presented in this format, there can be content elements which have not received appropriate treatment to support accessibility (like using structural formatting for headings, etc. or text equivalents for images). For more information see the PDF Articles, in the Accessibility Section of the Web Design Reference Site: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#plugins Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ Proud presenters of Web Essentials 04 http://we04.com/ Web standards, accessibility, inspiration, knowledge To be held in Sydney, September 30 and October 1, 2004 See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help **
RE: [WSG] access keys and tab index
For those of you that have put together a chart of access keys for your sitewide navigation, do you have any good suggestions? From what I have gathered best practice is that IF accesskeys are used: - Always supply a legend that defines the accesskeys. - Make sure this legend is on or available from every page on the site...perhaps in an accessibility statement. - Supply title attributes on any accesskeys used. - Keep the number of accesskeys to a minimum. I agree with Geoff. Because of the many conflicts, defining accesskeys seem to be a waste of time unless you are designing for a controlled environment such as an intranet. In Joe Clark's Book, "Building Accessible Websites", New Riders Publishing, 2002, he suggests that there are at least 36 characters that can be used for accesskey attribute. However, as pointed out previously, John Foliot and Derek Featherstone's unofficial survey/research concluded that there really were no useful access keys not already reserved by some application or other. When you take internationalization issues into account, it becomes pretty much of a hopeless cause. For more details from John Foliot and Derek Featherstone's study visit: - Accesskeys and Reserved Keystroke Combinations http://www.wats.ca/resources/accesskeysandkeystrokes/38 - Using Accesskeys - Is it worth it? http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeys/19 - More reasons why we don't use accesskeys http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeyconflicts/37 Also: - I Do Not Use Accesskeys by Dave Shea. http://www.mezzoblue.com/archives/2003/12/29/i_do_not_use/index.php Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/ * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *
Re: [WSG] style sheet for print
Anyone know of a good tutorial/reference or even a template for the style sheet for media="printer" I have some print tutorial/references listed here: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css#print Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *
RE: [WSG] Skip links and Accessibility Info Links
Here are a few more skip link references: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/navigation#skiplinks Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *
Re: [WSG] Color Blindnesss
"Somewhere out there", I lost my link to it in an old HDD crash, there is a site that allows you to test your site using the various perceptions people with various types of color blindness suffer from - it was actually quite handy. But there is other sites out there now that atleast let you choose or test the color schemes - though not as useful as the site reader. These might be helpful: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/tools#color http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/color Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *
[WSG] Re: Font size, and how large is large enough?
Maxine, This font sizing information might be helpful: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/type Laura ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *
[WSG] Re: Accessibility: Accesskeys
I have collected some information about Accesskeys, thought I share. Here are some more: http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#accesskey ___ Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign * The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ *