WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: LongDesc for documents, not websites

for

From: Duff Johnson
Date: Apr 21, 2011 10:30PM

Bevi,

> Thanks, Duff and Karen.
> I think a PDF with attachments might work.
>
> But what about Word documents?

I'm going to take a page from Vlad's book and say... "well, that's a workflow matter".

Why post a Word file if you can post a good PDF file instead? :)

"Post PDFs!", after all, is going to be a lot easier sale, workflow-wise than "re-invent government so it works like small business".

Final-form electronic documents are almost by-definition PDF files - or so I'd contend. A Word file has lots of appropriate functions - being posted as a formal document on a formal (ie, government) website generally isn't one of them.

(awaits slings and arrows)

Duff Johnson, CEO
Appligent Document Solutions

22 E. Baltimore Ave
Lansdowne, PA 19050
+1 610 284 4006
+1 617 553 1934 (direct)
<EMAIL REMOVED>
http://www.appligent.com
http://www.twitter.com/duffjohnson




> -----Original Message-----
> From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Duff Johnson
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 12:00 PM
> To: WebAIM Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] LongDesc for documents, not websites
>
> Bevi,
>
> As Karen suggested, why not a PDF with attachments? This approach would
> appear to meet your needs since it features the following attributes:
>
> 1) Stand-alone (No dependencies on government (or other) websites)
> 2) Non-technical (ie, easy for end-users with good PDF manipulation
> software)
> 3) The "connection" persists irrespective of location, network
> availability, etc, etc.
>
> Duff Johnson, CEO
> Appligent Document Solutions
>
> 22 E. Baltimore Ave
> Lansdowne, PA 19050
> +1 610 284 4006
> +1 617 553 1934 (direct)
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
> http://www.appligent.com
> http://www.twitter.com/duffjohnson
>
>
>
> On Apr 21, 2011, at 8:52 AM, Bevi Chagnon | PubCom wrote:
>
>> Just to reiterate, the solution must work for stand alone documents
>> (mainly Word and PDF files), as well as websites.
>> Also, the people creating these documents have no control over the
>> government agency's website and where the documents will eventually
>> reside on the site.
>>
>> --Bevi
>>
>> : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
>> : : : : : : : : : : : : :
>> Bevi Chagnon | PubCom | <EMAIL REMOVED> | 301-585-8805
>> Government publishing specialists, trainers, consultants | print,
>> press, web, Acrobat PDF & 508 March-May Classes:
>> www.pubcom.com/classes Section 508 Accessibility for Word, InDesign,
>> and Acrobat PDF
>> : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
>> ** It’s our 30th year! 1981-2011 **
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> The approach mentioned below is what we do in our online courses. The
>> difference is that we have developed a JavaScript that allows us to
>> use the "hide and show" function. In this way the user is not taken
>> out of the page and the description is available to anyone. The
>> student clicks on the "transcript" link and this expands a section
>> within the page that shows the description.
>> The four points mentioned below are very valid and I agree that when
>> considering accessibility we are talking not only about blind users
>> but for everyone.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Giovanni.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>
>> Hello Grignon,
>> I appreciate your thought, but remember accessibility is not only
>> for Screen reader users. Why you need so many jumpings?
>> As our other experts said, i suggest to use a "discription" link at
>> end of each graph or chart, once the user click on description, it'll
>> take you to the description in the same page, where two "back" links
>> one to resumed position and another to top take you to the resumed
>> position and top respectively.
>> This will benefit:
>> 1 A screen reader user can locate the description of the graph or
>> chart easily.
>> 2 A cognitive user can look the description of the chart or graph easily.
>> 3 A motor impaired user can locate descriptions with minimal
>> keystrokes if he/she needed.
>> 4 Benefits every one by reducing document scrolling.
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 4:59 PM, Will Grignon
>> < <EMAIL REMOVED> >wrote:
>>
>>> Why not create the master document and a description document? The
>>> blind user can read the master and, when he/she encounters a
>>> described graphic,
>>> ALT+TAB to the description document to get the full description, then
>>> ALT+TAB back to the master to resume reading. I am a blind screen
>>> ALT+reader
>>> user and it's a pain to jump to the back of a document to find an
>>> endnote then jump back to where I had left off, but it is relatively
>>> easy to read a master document, jump over to a secondary document,
>>> then jump back to the master at the point I had left it to read the
>> secondary document.
>>
>>
>>