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Text resizing widgets

for

From: Richard Merrill
Date: Jan 12, 2006 7:00AM

> Darrel said:

> ... why not also
> give them the option on the page as well? I'm not seeing this as an
> either/or issue, really. Both would seem to work fine together.
>
> -Darrel
>

I agree. We're talking here about making websites that people can use
whether they can see them easily, or with difficulty. I like the text
resizing widget with the letter A in three different sizes. It's
iconography at its best. There's really no question about what it is
when you see it. However, not every client of mine in rural Maine, USA,
can afford to have me put this in place. So I use a different solution.
My "Resize text" links open a window with instructions on how to resize
text in different browsers. The text size of the instructions is larger
than normal for those who really need it; for those who don't need
large text, it's not offensive.

I sometimes use an ugly javascript in the window to resize it after
opening. My developer friends scoff at this crude imitation of the
genuine popup, but if js is turned off, their popup doesn't work, and
my new window doesn't resize. The consequences for my visitors are
less, since the text of the link "Close Window" indicates the window
can be closed, even if the js to close it doesn't work. The final
effect for the visitor is what I'm after.

This is a transitional approach, not sophisticated scripting, but
useful now on the page the visitor is visiting, and a great relief for
them when they learn their browser will handle it.

Ignorance on the part of the web visitor is not something to sneer at,
but to address with the benefit of our knowledge. We're all ignorant,
just in different areas. I'm new to implementation of accessibility,
but it seems to me the visitor experience is still the goal.

Richard
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