WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Alternatives to LEGEND for a radio button?

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From: Steve Green
Date: Sep 4, 2009 7:05PM

How do we change this? Easy. All the so-called accessibility experts need to
start doing some user testing with disabled participants and assistive
technologies. It is shocking how many have no experience of this kind at
all. A few might have downloaded a screen reader and played with it (which
will teach them nothing) but almost no one is doing user testing and even
fewer are doing pure research.

I participate in the Web Standards Group (WSG) email list, and most members
are naturally in favour of adherence to standards. But you would not believe
the hostility towards the idea that designers should take into account
people's differing needs when designing websites. There is a large body of
opinion that says designers should code to standards and users should look
after themselves. If their assistive technologies don't play nicely with the
website, the user should complain to the AT vendor not the website designer.

And these are the enlightened designers. The vast majority don't even care
about standards compliance.

The fact is it's easy to do standards-compliant design, and that's what
those designers want to do. If the HTML Validator says the site is compliant
then the job is done. But they then want to pretend that this equates to
accessible design, which it in no way does.

Accessible design is much harder and there is usually no right answer - we
are always balancing conflicting requirements. That's what makes it a
profession rather than a trade, and it's what makes it interesting. We
discuss our experiences and slowly move towards better compromises. Sadly
there are very few of us doing it right now.

Rant over.

Steve Green
Director
Test Partners Ltd