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RE: Visible skip navigation links, was: good example

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From: Jon Gunderson
Date: Nov 13, 2003 9:43AM

Jim Thatcher points out the fundamental problem with the skip
navigation requirement of Section 508. Putting the whole burden on the author will
always lead to browser compatibility issues. It should be a shared
burden. Authors should be required to use some markup like the MAP
element (which can use text links) to indicated collections of related links on a pages (often
there are more than one navigation bar on a page) and browsers should be
required to allow users to either move keyboard focus over the links
contained in the MAP elements or move to the first link of a navigation
bar. This allows for users to not only skip over navigation bars, but
allows them to skip to a navigation bar if they waant to go to a different
link.

Jon


On Thu, 13 Nov 2003, Jim Thatcher wrote:

> Has anyone tried the visible skip link at, say, http://www.acb.org? Tab to
> "skip navigation links," press enter to follow the link and then tab again.
> Oops! My version of IE on Windows XP puts the selection back on the skip
> link. I believe it is a fundamental bug in IE. Basically, in-page links
> don't work correctly.
>
> It seems, as we discuss solutions like skipping navigation, we ought to be
> sure they work as expected. The frustration of navigating the web must be
> heightened and aggravated when presented "solutions" just don't work.
>
> There are a couple of work-arounds that I know about. Make the named anchor,
> actually an empty link - this is annoying for some but most reliable. It
> seems also that when the named anchor is in a table cell, then tabbing
> works.
>
> Jim
> Accessibility, What Not to do: http://jimthatcher.com/whatnot.htm.
> Web Accessibility Tutorial: http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephanie Sullivan [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 8:29 AM
> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Subject: Re: Visible skip navigation links, was: good example
>
> on 11/13/03 8:19 AM, Karl Groves at <EMAIL REMOVED> profoundly spewed
> forth their very articulate thoughts:
>
> > You're saying that those with motor impairments can use the skip link as a
> > method to more quickly get to in-context links?
>
> That's what I've been trying to say... And Andrew said it SO much better...
> ;) Screenreaders (used mainly for sight impairment) can use both visual and
> Tom Gilder-type skip links... So can people who surf by tabbing through web
> pages (used mainly for motor impairment ... Or as someone else pointed out,
> when you break your mouse. ;).
>
> The people who DON'T have any use for a skip link are the elderly who use a
> mouse and are trying to click on the 1 x 1 skiplink (as the original example
> said)... That would not happen because a person, surfing visually, using a
> mouse, will not have any use for a skip link. They will place their mouse in
> the page at the place they want to go to (or link they wan to click)...
>
> This is all I've been trying to say from the beginning... ;) Thanks Andrew.
> :D
>
> Stephanie Sullivan
>
> Contributing Author .: "Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Magic" :. New Riders
> CommunityMX Team Member :: http://www.communitymx.com
> Technical Editor .: "DreamweaverMX Killer Tips" :. New Riders
> VioletSky Design :: http://www.violetsky.net
>
> "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative
> effort." --Franklin D. Roosevelt
>
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