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Re: Can I use Javascript to "make accessible" a third party app that isn't

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Jan 21, 2009 8:30AM

In the circumstances it sounds like a reasonable thing to do because it will
improve accessibility for some people and will not have any adverse effect
on anyone.

I suspect that it will not benefit all screen reader users because they
differ in their ability to interact with the DOM. I would expect JAWS
versions 7.10 and above to be able to read the labels that you add with
JavaScript but earlier versions may not be able to. You would have to test
it to be sure.

On that subject, you are not allowed to use the trial version of JAWS for
testing; this is explicitly prohibited in the license agreement. The trial
version is only to be used to help you decide whether to purchase the full
version.

We have a licensed version, and anyone on this list is welcome to come to
our Test Centre in Central London and use it free of charge if they want to
do any testing. Email me at <EMAIL REMOVED>

Steve Green



-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Paul Collins
Sent: 21 January 2009 14:47
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Can I use Javascript to "make accessible" a third
party app that isn't

Hi Marissa, welcome to the Forum!

I would like to know what are the cirumstances are for the "special" form
fields. Although the general consensus is all form fields should have a
label, I could think of some examples where it doesn't need a label, such
as "Date", because you'd need three select boxes for it and the design may
not have a label for each of three - just the "date" one at the start. I'm
sure I'll be debated on this, but the example is more to prove that every
form is different and has different fields.

I believe in an example like above, you could add a title to each form
field, as titles on a form field are read out by the majority of assistive
software. (Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone?)

So, it would be worth assessing each form field on an individual basis.
Forms are supposed to work without the use of Javascript to be accessible,
so this wouldn't really be a worthwhile solution. It may help some screen
readers that support Javascript though.

Also, you can get a trial version for JAWS and the other major screen
readers I think.

Cheers
Paul


-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Goldsmith,
Marissa
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 2:23 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: [WebAIM] Can I use Javascript to "make accessible" a third party
app that isn't

I've been lurking on this list for a while and absorbing quite a bit.
And now I have a question.



Our client is trying to make their website more accessible. We've
identified a probably, however, with some of their donation forms. The tool
is almost accessible. Most of the form fields have labels, but there are a
few, because they are "special" that don't. We don't have any way to change
how the form code is built, and the maker of the application will not make
any changes.



Instead, we think we can use Javascript to add labels into the DOM of the
page as soon as it has loaded. I know it's not an ideal solution.
We don't have access to the more popular screenreaders, so I can't tell what
will happen. Will the ScreenReaders pick up on the Javascript? I realize
that it's not the most elegant solution, and that it will not likely "pass"
a 508 check, but I would like to know if it would help improve the
accessibility of the page.



Thanks!



------------------------------------------------

Marissa Goldsmith

Beaconfire Consulting

http://www.beaconfire.com <http://www.beaconfire.com>;

<EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >


703-894-0080 x246