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Re: Left Column and Heading Level Order

for

From: Dave Smith
Date: Jul 9, 2012 2:58AM

Hi

Just a thought to add to the conversation, can using multiple h1s help here?

The first h1 for site wide content with a proper heading structure below it relating to site information, navigation etc.
The second h1 for the main content again with proper heading structure as normal.

For example:

title WebAIM: Awesome Article
h1 WebAIM
   h2 Navigation
   h2 From the Blog
   h2 Community
h1 Awesome Article
   h2 Introduction
   h2 Story
   h2 Conclusion

all the best
Dave Smith

> From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 23:57:36 +0100
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Left Column and Heading Level Order
>
> Hi all,
>
> PDF and web pages don't normally have the same purpose and functionality as
> one another. Most PDF files are on a single subject and don't contain
> navigation panels to other related PDF files.
>
> Each web page is also on a single subject but contains links to other pages
> in the same web site and / or section of a site. The navigation isn't part
> of the page topic, so shouldn't be assigned the H1 level, which is the only
> level that virtually all screen readers can reach, irrespective of any
> preceding heading level.
>
> So H1 should be reserved for the main content heading, as Jared and Brian
> said.
>
> If there happen to be other headings above this in code order, then
> presumably these have been provided for the convenience of screen reader
> users, so that theres an easy means of reaching navigation links for
> instance. Screen reader users are grateful for this aid, but not when
> mathematical logic is put into play and the page has H1 at the top of all
> content, such as the site name, followed by H2 for navigational sections and
> main content. This just makes it very hard to locate and understand where
> main content starts.
>
> The worst I've come across was a site where so many navigational sections
> preceded the main content that it took 9 key presses to reach it. That's
> the visual equivalent of having no visual difference between headings, no
> white space separation or any other visual clues to the whole point of the
> page.
>
> So when someone using screen reader generic heading navigation finds H2 as
> the first heading on a page, they aren't disappointed or think badly of the
> author, far from it, their first reaction is hope that (if this is a
> navigation heading), the author will have got the rest of it right too, and
> have H1 where it should be, followed by proper nesting within main content
> and reverting to H2 for any other headings outside main content.
>
> HTML5 may resolve this, but in the meantime, the system described by Jared
> and Brian is the best way we have to understand the multiple section layout
> of web pages.
>
> Best,
>
> Bim
> ===
> Bim Egan
> Web Access Consultant
> Find me on LinkedIn:
> http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=33508313&;trk=tab_pro
>
>
>
> .
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Loretta Guarino Reid" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Sent: Friday, July 06, 2012 10:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Left Column and Heading Level Order
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 2:36 PM, David Ashleydale
> < <EMAIL REMOVED> >wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 2:25 PM, James Nurthen < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >
> > > WCAG2 H42 has example 2 which covers this exact scenario
> > >
> > > http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-TECHS/H42.html
> >
> >
> > Yes, and that's one of the things that was confusing me. The "sufficient"
> > technique you linked to above has an example where the Hs are not in
> > order.
> > However, there is also an "advisory" technique (
> > http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20120103/G141) that specifies
> > putting the headings in order and not skipping levels.
> >
> > Since this is just advisory though, I assume it means that a web page
> > author can claim WCAG Level A conformance and not do it.
> >
>
> Yes, David, this is correct.
>
>
> > Still, it seems like a good thing to strive for.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > David
> > > > > > > >
> > > >
> > >