WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Accessible Mega Menu and Safari

for

From: Brian Lovely
Date: Apr 5, 2016 7:50AM

I am not familiar with the Brooks Newton comment, but as a front end web developer I understand the need for testing at the development levels, but also the challenges the developer faces in this regard.

A dev not only needs the tools (test machines with various OS and browsers installed, some service like BrowserStack or Sauce Labs) but also the time for testing built into the scope and budget for the project. This is typically not the case. Usually there is a paucity of test devices (sorry, BrowserStack, you are still not a complete replacement for physical devices), those that are provided are on their last legs, front end testing is not well understood nor supported.

I've worked at places where the FE leads swore that we would begin using a JS testing framework like Jasmine on the next project only to have to scrap that in the face of time and budget constraints.

…and I have never worked at a place where they had bought a license for JAWS.

Brian Lovely
<EMAIL REMOVED>



> On Apr 5, 2016, at 9:36 AM, Guy Hickling < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> I think Brooks Newton has summarised the current position excellently.
> His comment about how we all "must push harder for OS, user agent, and
> AT engineers to do their own bug checking" is very true.
>
> Further to that, perhaps the proposed European Accessibility Act will
> put a bit more pressure on manufacturers, particularly of computers,
> operating systems and smart phones (and their "user interface and
> functionality design") which are some of the specific items it covers,
> to get it right before they put out new releases. With that
> legislation (and subsequent implementation by the individual
> countries) accessibility bugs will no longer be merely bugs, but will
> become actual infringements against the law.
> It won't stop these problems ever happening, of course (a bug is by
> definition unintentional). But they often get through due to not doing
> enough testing, so the EAA should help raise the stakes and pressure
> the software manufacturers to pay more attention to the accessibility
> testing of their products.
>
> Regards,
> Guy Hickling
> > > >