WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Strikethrough Content with Screen Readers

for

From: Vivek.Gaikwad@cognizant.com
Date: Nov 21, 2010 10:42PM

Jared, I agree that the AT vendors should take care of such issues in the newer versions and we need to ask for it. But, at such instance if we do not deliver some operative solution, it's the end user who is going to suffer for whom are creating accessible content.

@ Bevi: Changing the sentence framing would be the last option I could think of, as it is not going to help in all the scenarios. But yes, we need to go with it if we don't see any other option, which is the case here :) At least the end user will get the correct information.

peace, veiky


-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Patrick H. Lauke
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 2:38 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Strikethrough Content with Screen Readers

On 20/11/2010 20:44, Terrill Bennett wrote:
> From a previous post:
>
> > We're reaching a *very* critical time
> > on the web where if AT does not step
> > up and start handling basic HTML,
> > ARIA, and (especially) HTML5 markup
> > (which has both<del> and<ins> and
> > much more) that users of these
> > technologies are going to quickly
> > begin having very poor experiences on
> > the web despite web authors creating
> > highly accessible and well marked-up
> > content.
>
> ARIA and HTML5 are drafts, not finalized recommendations. Drafts are
> moving targets. Read as Philippe Le Hegaret, W3C interaction domain
> leader, warns on the early adoption of HTML5 and other issues with
> the specification:
> http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/w3c-hold-html5-in-websites-041
>
> Mr. Le Hegaret states that there will be changes to APIs. As any
> project manager can tell you, going back and changing existing code
> due to changes in requirements is one of the most expensive
> propositions known. And to a developer, retrofitting code is not
> considered an overly-exciting task; there's no better way to rid your
> team of good talent than repeatedly assigning them to maintenance.
>
> For a moment, please consider the number of ARIA roles, their
> defaults, options, relationships and hierarchy:
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/WD-wai-aria-20100916/roles
>
> In light of the warning against the early adoption of HTML5, isn't it
> too early to expect A.T. to implement the ARIA draft?
>
> If we think that A.T. should be supporting these drafts fully, then
> how much more are we willing to pay for a copy JAWS so Freedom
> Scientific can add the necessary resources? How many more volunteers
> will the NVDA Project need?
>
> To write<del>something</del> or role="something" is exponentially
> easier than developing the code in A.T. to support it, and fixing the
> code when the requirement changes.

Keeping in mind though that ins and del, specific to this thread, have
been in circulation since HTML4 / 1999, ample time for AT to at least
start supporting THAT.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke