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Re: rely on a browser's high contrast mode

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Jul 31, 2019 6:58PM

My interpretation of "Setting user preferences within the content" is that the style switcher needs to be built into the website, not the browser. That means it is available in every user agent.

This view is reinforced by the phrase "as long as the method used to set the preferences is accessibility supported", which only makes sense if the style switcher is in the website.

So the bottom line is that you can't rely on the style switcher in the browser.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd



-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Sent: 31 July 2019 21:10
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] rely on a browser's high contrast mode

For the purpose of achieving absolutely minimal conformance to WCAG
2.0 this is an interesting question.

I invite you to peruse the wonderfully complex document that is the WCAG 2.0 conformance requirements https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/conformance.html
particularly the "conforming alternate version" and "accessibility supported" sections.

Note 7 under "understanding conforming alternate versions" says:
"Setting user preferences within the content to produce a conforming version is an acceptable mechanism for reaching another version as long as the method used to set the preferences is accessibility supported."

As long as you can open your browser menu and turn on high contrast mode (which you can with most assistive technology browser combinations I aware of) this sounds like making certain features accessible in high contrast mode would pass the minimalist definition, much to my disappointment.

Forpractical reasons you wouldn't want to rely on this:

As already mentioned, high contrast mode differs between browsers and operating systems and while it can fix one area of the page it could render other parts amost totally impossible to read (and for the page to pass WCAG the entire page ust be accessible in the chosen mode, not a page that requires you to switch between multiple modes to achieve full conformance). In other words, and in my understanding, the page must fully pass color contrast requirements in high contrast mode, notjust the sections of it that fail in normal mode.

Even if high contrast mode is available, would users know about it (would you be able to tell your grandma to just turn it on), similar arguments can be made for text resizing etc. but it is still a valid usability argument.

That designer should just make the page color scheme accessible, it will save major headaches, complications and sleepless nights in the long-run. ;)



On 7/31/19, Farough, David (CFP/PSC) < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Check out the following article from Scott O'Hara on other high
> contrast issues.
> https://www.scottohara.me/blog/2019/02/12/high-contrast-aria-and-image
> s.html
>
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >


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