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RE: Creative accessible web pages

for

From: John Foliot - bytown internet
Date: Feb 21, 2002 5:26PM

John,

To a certain extent, you're missing the point. Like every aspect of our
industry, the software vendors are the ones who hold us back (and no, this
is not a software vendors flame). Not one single browser out there today is
100% compliant to HTML 4.01, even though that spec has been solid since Dec
24th, 1999. In internet years, that's forever. Yes, the major vendors (I
use the term genericly 'cause we know that often the browsers are free) are
coming close, but none fully support CSS Level 2, with all of the speech
attributes, or properly support LONGDESC (with a tip of the hat to IBM who
do). Does that mean that we shouldn't include those attributes in our Style
sheets or use the LONGDESC attribute? Your call. When I'm asked though, my
standard reply is code to current standards, and leave the catch up game to
the software folk. I acknowledge that sometimes that don't fly... it's a
tough sell to convince the "powers that be" that you WONT use hacks like
"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;" or <IMG SRC="spacer.gif"..> because not all
browsers support positioning. But that just means that advocacy and
education must become part of your gig.

This is not a new argument, and this isn't the forum for it anyway. But if
you are left with the impression that "PC Windows 98, JAWS 4.X" is the
baseline, well, that's probably because that combination comes closest to
implementing the W3C standards, upon which the governments are relying upon
to establish a Standard.

"If you wish to continue to ride a horse to town, you can't really complain
if Walmart doesn't provide a hitching post for your stead... they paved a
parking lot instead."

As always, JMHO

JF



>
> Date: 19 Feb 2002 16:43:54 -0600
> From: John Middleton < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Subject: Re: Creative accessible web pages
>
>
> Accessible perhaps by a few... Try increasing the font size on that
> page via your browser Prefs.
> Macintosh Outspoken reads from top left to right line by line. Try
> deciphering meaningful content of your site/s with this in mind.
>
> The W3C/WAI site is a better example.
> <http://www.w3.org/WAI/>;http://www.w3.org/WAI/
>
> This is where artistic impressions and accessibility collide.
>
> Why is it that speech friendly is never mentioned?
> Accessible for the latest and greatest application and OS's only.... go
> figure?
> Where does accessible start (Windows 2000, ME, XP?) (sorry Mac,
> Linux, BeOS)
> What about other platform and older Software (SW), and not so old SW
> technologies? (eg. Current Mac Outspoken).
>
> Many sites may pass accessibility validator's but still far from
> accessible by ALL!
>
> I may have missed the message that said PC Windows 98, JAWS 4.X was
> the accessibility baseline.
> I never compare I simply learn and implement to the best of my
> abilities with what I have to work with. These tools mentioned here
> help us discover accessibility aspects no matter what level developer
> you are.
> Some are just getting started while other think they're experts.
>
> Ask your friend to close his eye's and tell you which site is boring.
> You may discover your priorities need to be reconsidered. Don't take
> me wrong, I'm not knocking any example, I'm wanting to learn more
> from such examples and learn from them reading these messages. I'm
> in the same boat, learning, implementing, and trying my best, myself.
>
>
> JM
>
>



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