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Re: text links on a separate page - compliant with 508?

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From: Robinson, Norman B - Washington, DC
Date: Mar 3, 2005 7:04AM

All,
From the most recent "Javascript flyout menus are still very
popular. Another way to help make them accessible is to place all the
child links on a separate page when the parent is clicked on. -Lisa"
comment, I just wanted to mention I recommend that developers always use
a navigation system or technology that is most accessible.

A view from the U.S. Section 508:

1. You should always include information in the scripting itself
that indicates what it does.
(Subpart B -- Technical Standards 1194.22 Web-based
intranet and internet information and applications "When pages
utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface
elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified
with functional text that can be read by assistive technology."

2. You should use caution when thinking about an alternate text
version; an alternate shouldn't be necessary if you have made your
primary content accessible! Specifically I'll draw your attention to
"when compliance cannot be accomplished IN ANY OTHER WAY", which is
sometimes incorrectly interpreted to be "create a text version to solve
your accessibility problems".
(Subpart B -- Technical Standards (1194.22) Web-based intranet
and internet information and applications, Paragraph (k): "A text-only
page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to
make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance
cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only
page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.")

I know Lisa didn't mention specifics, just a caution when
providing "alternates" to ensure you've figured out the technology and
know how to best apply it before going to a separate 'duplicate'
process.

Regards,


Norman B. Robinson
Section 508 Coordinator
IT Governance, US Postal Service
--------------------------------
AS-508, Section 508 Handbook in HTML:
http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/hand/as508/welcome.htm
AS-508-A, Section 508 Technical Reference Guide in HTML:
http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/hand/as508a/welcome.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: mroush [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 5:46 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] text links on a separate page - compliant with
508?



----- Original Message -----
From: "lists38"
To: "WebAIM Discussion List"
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 5:09 PM
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] text links on a separate page - compliant with
508?
: >
: How usable is a very very large group of links though? What you are
: talking about is a portal/catalogue yahoo style.
: Yes, the way you described it does make sense. However, a search is in
: this case a much better option, or a drill down into categories.
: I'd really like to see user numbers on links in catalogues compared to
: search engine users. Personally I can never be bothered searching for
: links, I either try type-ahead or the search directly.

Absolutely. I'm right with you on this. A very very large group of
links
is, by itself, cumbersome. However, a text-based site map can often be
a
great help - not only for users who like to get a layout of all the
pages on
a site and find the one they want to go to from there, but for designers
who
are forced to ask themselves "Where does this new page I just created
fit in
the logical scheme of my site?" The site map would be the ONLY page on
a
site that I can see myself ever thinking should have such a huge number
of
links on it. Tons of links will never be easy to manage or navigate,
but at
least some steps can be taken to make them easier to work with.

Having a site-wide search function available on your site (on every
page,
too) is also, imho, at least a potential benefit in regards to
accessibility
and usability. Quality site-wide search functions are few and far
between,
however, and thus aren't necessarily easily recognized. I don't like
the
site-wide search functions that just say "Search" above the input box,
instead of "Search this Site". The first few I saw (such as the ones
powered by Google), I mistook for Internet-wide search boxes
incorporated
into other pages.

Michael Roush,
Hopewell SERRC

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