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Re: should 'skip to content' be the first element onthepage?

for

From: Keith Parks
Date: Feb 16, 2007 9:30AM

On Feb 15, 2007, at 4:49 PM, John Foliot - Stanford Online
Accessibility Program wrote:

> Ok, and by all means share the data - but I suspect that if you
> have a large
> enough pool you'll find that there are few "absolutes". I would
> further
> suggest that while using heading tags is the logical way of doing
> things,
> given that the Section 508 checklist infers that a "skip nav" link
> should
> (must?) be present, and that for many, many sites the initial link
> *is* a
> skip nav link, that user behaviour is reaching the point that many
> "expect"
> this convention, logic or practicality aside. If non-sighted users
> are
> starting to 'expect' this form of navigation aid, why should we stop?
> Conventions are emerging for visual layouts (left hand navigation
> being one
> of them), why should it be any different for non-sighted users?

But isn't part of the idea of designing to the standards that we
don't have to try and figure out what users are expecting, or what
percentage of users are expecting one thing, and what percent expect
another?

The rule says "A method shall be provided that permits users to skip
repetitive navigation links." The link as the first thing on the page
would likely skip a lot more than navigation.

It seems like to fit the rule, the skip nav link ought to be
immediately before the navigation elements, since it's not really
about skipping *to* the content, but skipping *over* the navigation.

My 2ยข,

Keith

******************************
Keith Parks
Graphic Designer/Web Designer
Student Affairs Communications Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7444

(619) 594-1046

mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED>
http://www.sdsu.edu
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/communications
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