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Re: good examples of javascript "roll over" menus with a n accessible alternative

for

From: Christian Heilmann
Date: Jul 29, 2005 5:25PM

> > Off Topic possibly but -
> > should/shouldn't "skip-to" links be visible to all?)
> As to the specific comment above, I thought I'd expand on my comment before
> on suggesting making interface widgets like this an user-option.
> There is no argument that skip links are useful. There are valid arguments
> on both sides as to whether or not they should be visible:
> Arguments for VISIBLE:
>
> - helps to indicate to those that can see just fine, but prefer to use
> the keyboard that they can skip directly to the content area

Furthermore they show a lot easier that you _do_ care about
accessibility - which is a self policing that a lot of scared "can we
be sued" clients have righ now - than any WCAG badge ever can.

Let us not forget though that skip links are a worst case scenario. If
your navigation is not the first thing the visitor gets on every page
of the site, but at the end of the document - which is easily possible
with CSS then there is no need for skip links. They are only needed
to, well, skip repeating elements.

> Arguments for NOT VISIBLE:
>
> - takes up screen real estate
> - may confuse people that don't know what it's for

Again, the latter can actually be used as an argument in favour, as it
can help those also find out about the other opportunities accessible
web design gives the abled user (larger click area through labels for
example)

> As such, I took the easy (cowards?) way out on our site design* this past
> year:
>
> http://www.courts.state.mn.us/accessibility/
>
> I made it an option for the end-user. The links are always there, but only
> visible if you want them visible. Same goes for the on-screen font resizer,
> which falls into the same category as above (there are perfectly valid
> argument for both having it and not having it on the site).
>
> And, again, this all goes for this debate on fly-out navigation as well.
>
> We've been fine without fly-out navigation on our site for a while, but a
> lot of folks...namely internal employees, really would like to see it, so
> I'm not thinking that I'm definitely going to make this an option if people
> want it via the same method as the other items.
> I'm curious as to what others think about this. Am I overthinking the issue?
> Has anyone seen simliar or better implementation elsewhere?

Making something that might not work for everybody optional and
enabling the user to turn it off and on is never a bad idea IMHO.
Every good application has it, or would you like to have every toolbar
in Word visible? :-)

One danger is overdoing the amount of options to turn things on and
off though. A good solution would be a general "customise this site"
page.

When I was young and innocent I went completely overboard with this idea:
http://www.icant.co.uk/ltlg/

--
Chris Heilmann
Blog: http://www.wait-till-i.com
Writing: http://icant.co.uk/
Binaries: http://www.onlinetools.org/