WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Using Tables

for

From: Giovanni Duarte
Date: Feb 13, 2012 7:51AM

Interesting topic about HTML5, the future, and current constraints...
I have heard from coworkers and managers that accessibility basically
translates to "simplicity" and lack of innovation. People is usually under
the assumption that accessibility and innovation can't go hand to hand. I
completely understand the need to provide support (as much as we can) to
those with older technologies; however, isn't this preventing us to
innovative and be more creative? For example, we can't keep supporting
Internet Explorer 6 anymore due to the technologies we use in our
institution. If we try to support IE6, we won't be able to implement more
than half of our technologies and benefit all the population.

All I am saying is that we need to find a balance so we can benefit everyone
without compromising the need of innovation and creativity.

Thanks,
Giovanni



-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Steve Faulkner
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 8:14 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Using Tables

Hi Donna,

>When you're building your shiny new Ferraris for the Power Users,
>please
make sure the little old lady who just wants to drive to the supermarket
still can.

It is not people such as myself who build such things, it is companies such
as google, yahoo, microsft, IBM etc.
Yes they need to take into account there users, but if they do choose to use
newer aspects of the technology that don't work in IE6, the technologies
still need to be accessible with whatever baseline technologies these
companies choose to support, that is where ARIA and understanding how to
build accessible interfaces with newer HTMl5 features comes into play.

We also need to take into account that many traditional software
applications are now built using web technologies, these may well not be
published n the open web for all to access, but accessed via company
intranets. In such cases baseline technology requirements can be reasonably
defined (as they are with more traditional desktop software) and therefore
not every user agent or version can be expected to be catered for.

regards
Stevef


On 13 February 2012 14:02, Donna Lettow < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Steve Faulkner:
>
> >many aspects of HTML5 are here right now and being used so it makes
> >sense
> take it into account.Part of the accessibility support problem is/has
>
> > been that what is in specs and what is supported are not always the
> > same
> thing.
>
> > As accessibility practitioners we need to be mindful of this and
> > provide
> best practise advice based on implementation realities.
>
> As someone who is not currently a programmer/developer, but whose
> charge it is to ensure accessibility to my vocational rehabilitation
> constituents
> -- many of whom do not have access to the latest and greatest
> technology and who cannot afford to update JAWS each and every time
> Freedom Scientific releases a new version, and many of whom are not
> technologically savvy enough to know that people on Internet mailing
> lists mock the versions of Internet Explorer that they run (or that
> they run Internet Explorer at all) because they've never been taught
> how to update it - I worry that this rush to embrace the shiny new
> toys of HTML5 and ARIA is going to leave behind an accessibility
> underclass who won't have the equipment or the navigation skills to keep
up.
>
>
>
> When you're building your shiny new Ferraris for the Power Users,
> please make sure the little old lady who just wants to drive to the
> supermarket still can.
>
>
>
> Donna Lettow
>
> Staff Specialist, Electronic Accessibility & Internal Communication
>
> MD Division of Rehabilitation Services
>
>
>
>
>
>
> IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail may contain confidential or privileged
> information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the
> sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorized copying,
> disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly
> forbidden.
>