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On forms again RE: webaim-forum-d Digest V2003 #44

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Feb 25, 2003 3:52PM


Thanks for the plug, Leah, but I'm sorry to say that I don't agree that
http://www.ma.doe.gov/web.html has the problems you describe. I wish that
the individual form controls had label elements around each prompt thus
programmatically connecting the prompt with the control, but the positions
of the prompts in this case work; the prompts are spoken with each control
with HPR, JAWS and Window-Eyes. I believe that is good enough. As far as the
tables go - the page reads (linearizes) just fine.



One might argue that if the text separating groups of controls was also
spoken then that would improve accessibility. True, but it is not
unreasonable to expect that if, when hearing "capacity" and "organization",
one moves back a couple of lines to hear the text in front of these fields:
"Affiliation: If writing on behalf of an organization, union, association,
group, or country, please include its full name and your relationship

(e.g., position, member, citizen)?" So I don't think that text has to be
automatically spoken in forms mode.



Jim

508 Web Accessibility Tutorial http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm.

"Constructing Accessible Web Sites:" http://jimthatcher.com/news.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: Leah Cornwell [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 3:51 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED> ; <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: webaim-forum-d Digest V2003 #44



I think that in creating your form you need to be even more simplistic. In
the interest of accessibility
<http://64.4.20.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&;lah=271c4a182e3a031342e413291549
8006&lat=1046208897&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ema%2edoe%2egov%2fenergy%2
fweb%2ehtml> http://www.ma.doe.gov/energy/web.html this web page is going to
have a hard time being accessible. First of all it is created in nested
tables which is a problem from the start. If you take the tables out and
mark up the table with the prompt for the input to the left of the text box,
and then put the answers next to it it would turn out to be much more
accessible. Screen readers have trouble reading things that are above the
input boxes. Tables containing forms are not going to linearize well. I
think you might want to start over with a more simplistic page...you don't
have to sacrifice design for accessibility. I think keeping! in mind
simplicity is a good idea for forms, and they don't have to look bad when
choosing to do that. Just some thoughts...
http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse8.htm I am sure you might have looked
here already, but it couldn't hurt to check it out if you haven't.

Good Luck!

~Leah

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>Reply-To: <EMAIL REMOVED>

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>Subject: webaim-forum-d Digest V2003 #44

>Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 14:15:06 -0700

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