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Re: 508 that says "all info conveyed with color, also available without color"

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From: Nancy Johnson
Date: May 22, 2008 6:20AM

Dear Webaim,

508 says "(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information
conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from
context or markup."

Our site is about vehicle complaints and the bread and butter of our
site is an interactive form that folks can use if they have a
complaint about a tire, vehicle, child restraint or non-original
equipment. This form is in the process of becoming more user
friendly.

In one area of this form, we are adding 3 select boxes so the user
can add the tire size of the tire he/she has a complaint about.

A typical tire size number might look like: P215/65R15. 215 is in the
first select box, 65 is the 2nd and 15 the third.

To help the user understand what is expected I added a a sample number
below each box. Here, I bolded and changed the text-size of the part
of the number associated with that select box by using a style sheet.
Later I realized when I disabled the style sheet the bolding and
text-size went away.

Question: If I had put <strong>xxx</strong> inline instead of using
style sheets, is this something that text readers would pick up and
distinguish from the other part of the text even when style sheets are
turned off?

Any other suggestions (space is a premium in this area)

This is not live so I cannot easily send you a link.

Thanks,

Nancy