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Thread: Image maps and JAWS
Number of posts in this thread: 6 (In chronological order)
From: Chris Heilmann
Date: Mon, Nov 29 2004 7:00AM
Subject: Image maps and JAWS
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I am just implementing a site using image maps with ALT text for all
areas. According to Dive into Accessibility, Building Accessible web sites
and all others that is enough (I am aware of the issue of users with low
vision though).
What puzzles me is that my evaluation copy of Jaws and Fangs both do not
show any of the navigation. Is that a setting in Jaws?
--
Chris Heilmann
http://icant.co.uk/ | http://www.onlinetools.org/
From: Jon Gunderson
Date: Mon, Nov 29 2004 7:54AM
Subject: Re: Image maps and JAWS
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Chris,
You really need to have redundent text links for all the AREA
links, since none of the major browsers will render ALT text
for AREA defined image hot spots, when images are turned off.
This is important for people with low vision, who do not use
screen readers or magnifiers.
Try using the Opera browser (http://www.opera.com) and
toggling off images (G key). It is the easiest browser to
toggle off images.
Jon
---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:51:36 +0100 (CET)
>From: "lists38"
>Subject: [WebAIM] Image maps and JAWS
>To: "WebAIM Discussion List"
>
>
>
>I am just implementing a site using image maps with ALT text
for all
>areas. According to Dive into Accessibility, Building
Accessible web sites
>and all others that is enough (I am aware of the issue of
users with low
>vision though).
>
>What puzzles me is that my evaluation copy of Jaws and Fangs
both do not
>show any of the navigation. Is that a setting in Jaws?
>
>
>--
>Chris Heilmann
>http://icant.co.uk/ | http://www.onlinetools.org/
>
>----
>To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit
http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
MC-574
College of Applied Life Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Voice: (217) 244-5870
Fax: (217) 333-0248
E-mail: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/
WWW: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jongund/www/
From: Chris Heilmann
Date: Mon, Nov 29 2004 8:37AM
Subject: Re: Image maps and JAWS
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>
> Chris,
>
> You really need to have redundent text links for all the AREA
> links, since none of the major browsers will render ALT text
> for AREA defined image hot spots, when images are turned off.
> This is important for people with low vision, who do not use
> screen readers or magnifiers.
>
> Try using the Opera browser (http://www.opera.com) and
> toggling off images (G key). It is the easiest browser to
> toggle off images.
I understand that issue, however isn't that a browser problem and not ours
as developers? The only _really_ accessible way would be to replicate the
navigation as visible text links then, which is something the client will
not agree with. Text browsers and screen readers don't seem to have an
issue with a proper image map with alt and title attributes, it is
browsers with images turned off. I also thought about using lists with
absolute positioning and text replacement ("css sprites"), but that means
that there won't be any text when images are turned off either. I could
write a script that checks if images are being loaded, and then apply the
map, otherwise display text links, but that seems overkill.
--
Chris Heilmann
http://icant.co.uk/ | http://www.onlinetools.org/
From: Jukka K. Korpela
Date: Mon, Nov 29 2004 11:08AM
Subject: Re: Image maps and JAWS
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On Mon, 29 Nov 2004, lists38 wrote:
> I am just implementing a site using image maps with ALT text for all
> areas.
Why? Regarding image maps, there are really just two useful rules:
1. Don't use them.
2. If you really have something that is _better_ presented as a clickable
image than as a list of links, make the clickable image an _alternative_
to the list of links. (For example, for selecting an area within a
country, first set up a list of links. Then, if desired, _add_ an
alternative, namely a clickable map.)
In case 2, you should use alt attributes as a matter of principle, but
they aren't really needed when you have the list.
> According to Dive into Accessibility, Building Accessible web sites
> and all others that is enough
Then they are simply wrong. Try any graphic browser with image loading (or
just display) switched off, and you'll see. More info:
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/html/mapalt.html
> (I am aware of the issue of users with low
> vision though).
That's one problem, and potentially relevant to (literally) billions of
people, but the main problem is in getting the alt text appear in the
first place.
> What puzzles me is that my evaluation copy of Jaws and Fangs both do not
> show any of the navigation. Is that a setting in Jaws?
Well, what's the URL? There might be an error in your document.
--
Jukka "Yucca" Korpela, http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/
From: reply-to:to:subject:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:references;
Date: Mon, Nov 29 2004 11:32AM
Subject: Re: Image maps and JAWS
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On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:51:36 +0100 (CET), lists38 wrote:
> I am just implementing a site using image maps with ALT text for all
> areas. According to Dive into Accessibility, Building Accessible web sites
> and all others that is enough (I am aware of the issue of users with low
> vision though).
While I like to avoid image maps like the plague, if you MUST use
them, you may want to think about creating them via Dave Shea's CSS
Sprites technique [1]. I've used it on occasion to accomplish an
image map effect that proves to be accessible to assistive
technologies.
REFERENCES
[1] http://www.alistapart.com/articles/sprites/
--
Bryce Fields, Web Developer
Where I Work: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
Where I Play: www.royalrodent.com
"Do or do not! There is no try!" -- Yoda
From: reply-to:to:subject:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:references;
Date: Tue, Dec 14 2004 8:32PM
Subject: Re: Image maps and JAWS
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> I understand that issue, however isn't that a browser problem and not ours
> as developers?
The first step in designing an accessible website - it is ALWAYS the
responsibility of the developer. As developers, there is no way to
determine what your audience will use to browse the site, particularly
if the content is of a broad nature that appeals to large groups. It
is the developer's job to minimize the impact of such issues.