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Re: LongDesc for documents, not websites

for

From: Bevi Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Apr 20, 2011 9:54PM

Thanks Jeb for your comments.

RE: charts and graphics, yes, I agree. The actual data can be presented in a
table below the visual chart or graph. That gives many benefits such as:
1. Data is easily navigated by AT.
2. Info is probably more efficiently conveyed via a table than via a
narrative description.
3. Keeps the data with the chart in the same document, which eliminates the
IT/web storage issue for government publishers.

Now on to figuring out what to do with PDFs and Word documents of maps,
floorplans, and engineering drawings!

<LongDesc> won't work for this situation: by W3C definition, that attribute
refers to a URL where the long description is stored.

Since these are government documents created by federal employees,
contractors and subcontractors who have no control over their agency's
website, they do not know the URL in advance and therefore can't refer to it
in a <LongDesc> attribute.

Well, not unless they had a crystal ball or bribed the web weenies with
donuts and coffee! <grin>

--Bevi
___________________
Bevi Chagnon / PubCom
Government publishing specialists, trainers, consultants
Print, press, web, Acrobat PDF and 508
April-May Classes: www.pubcom.com/classes Section 508 Accessibility for
Word, InDesign, and Acrobat PDF