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RE: Skip links for visual users?

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From: Kilcommons,Cath
Date: Dec 17, 2002 9:45AM

Hi Alistair,

To me, the most obvious group would be those using magnification software. Magnification programs such as ZoomText (by AIsquared)or MAGic (by Freedom Scientific). When it comes to just the visual interface, your CSS layout would not be affected. Many of these magnification programs also have a speech component and that is where the CSS layout might be affected, by not having tried this I cannot say for sure. What happens to that site if another CSS is applied? If you would like to post a link to try, some folks might be able to give you their results. There are also trial versions available.

I think an argument might also be made that users with cognitive challenges might find a visual skip links useful - rather than sorting through info they might have difficulties processing, they could just skip over to the "meat" of the page. At CSU, some programs we offer for student use include WYNN (Freedom Scientific) and TEXThelp's Read & Write.

Hope that helps a bit.

Regards,
Cath

---------------------------
Cath Stager- Kilcommons
Assistive Technology Support and
Web Accessibility Coordinator
Assistive Technology Resource Center
<http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC>;
Colorado State University
970-491-6258
<EMAIL REMOVED>



-----Original Message-----
From: Alastair Campbell [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 6:35 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Skip links for visual users?


Hi,

I've just joined this forum, hoping someone here would have an answer to
this question:

What type of technology do people use when they can see the screen, but
would still find skip links useful?

A thread came up on CHI-web (a web usability list) about the use of skip
links:
http://www.acm.org/archives/wa.cgi?A2=ind0212B&;L=chi-web&P=R1509
(The 4th icon is for the next in thread, but there are about 26 posts!)

Some people voiced concerns that there are groups of people that would
find skip past navigation links useful, but would need to see them.

Some sites use hidden skip links, so my questions are:
- who would this affect,
- what type of technology do they use to access the internet,
- How would a CSS positioned site be affected? (I.e. when navigation is
located at the bottom in the code, but visually on the left or top.)

Sorry to be so demanding in my first post, I'd appreciate any pointers
or places I can read further. (I couldn't find this specific issue in
the archives.)

Regards,

-Alastair Campbell

--
Alastair Campbell | Usability Analyst
http://www.nomensa.com | <EMAIL REMOVED>

Email Disclaimer:
http://www.nomensa.com/email/disclaimer.html


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