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Re: Summary and datatables?

for

From: Jared Smith
Date: Sep 16, 2013 1:52PM

Any tool that flags a failure for a table that is missing a summary is
using some creative interpretation of accessibility guidelines and
best practices.

Data tables do *not* require caption and/or summary. There is no
requirement in guidelines for such things. Now many data tables have
or could use a descriptive caption to make them more usable, but
there's no requirement that one be there, especially if the table
already makes sense in context or by the content of the table itself.

Many people (and presumably Rabab) misinterpret H39
(http://www.w3.org/TR/2013/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20130905/H39) to suggest
that captions are required, when in fact, it simply requires that if a
text caption is present that it be associated to the table with the
<caption> element.

Summary is dead. If you want to use it for a description of the table
layout (NOT the table content), go for it, but know that few will
see/read it. If a table needs a summary of its structure in order to
be accessible, it's probably not accessible.

Jared