WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: ins and del

for

From: Jared Smith
Date: Sep 19, 2008 3:20PM

On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 2:57 PM, Moore, Michael wrote:
> 1. Add a 1 pixel clear gif prior to and after the deleted or inserted
> text with alt text indicating the status of the text.
>
> It is a bit clumsy needing to listen to JAWS announce the graphics
> although users can turn that off but has the advantage that it will not
> affect the visual display unless both CSS and graphics are disabled.

As you note, screen readers don't always identify graphics. You
shouldn't necessarily avoid images just because they might be
identified.

> 2. Wrap the text indicating the beginning and the end of the insertion
> or deletion with a span inside of a span and position the span off
> screen using CSS.
>
> JAWS reads smoother now without the announcement of "graphic" but there
> is a risk that if CSS is disabled all users will see the text.

Why two spans? Wouldn't one work? You are using <del> and <ins>
regardless of the lack of support, correct?

While users may see the text in Option 2 if CSS is disabled, they
would see the same text in Option 1 if images are disabled. I'd maybe
put the text in parentheses to help offset it in these cases. Beyond
that, either option looks OK, though clearly not as good as if screen
readers actually supported these elements. And I can't really think of
a better option. I'm more of a minimalist, so I'd probably go with
Option 2.

Jared Smith
WebAIM