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RE: ABBR vs. just spelling it out.

for

From: John Foliot - WATS.ca
Date: Mar 22, 2006 9:30AM

Kynn Bartlett wrote:
> Then why are people assuming that it should be included in <abbr>
> every time?
>
> Surely current user agents AREN'T smart enough to go "okay, I've
> already read this, so I won't read the <abbr>'s title out loud this
> time."

Sadly, this is correct (at least for JAWS) - it's an "always on or
always off" setting. (JAWS manager >>> HTML Settings >>> Read Acronym
and read abbr)

However, the <ABBR> "tag" is for more than just screen reading
technology (right?). I often style it (and <acronym>) up differently
(even using cursor:help;) along with the Title attribute so that when it
is moused-over (for example) it "exposes" the spelled-out text. This
can be useful for those with some cognitive issues.

>
> The suggestion was given "spell out the whole thing, and then use
> <abbr> on all subsequent appearances." But that proposal leads to
> something which you (Penny) admit is undesirable. Is this really
> "increased accessibility" or is it subjecting blind folks to
> something which is unpleasant?

C'mon Kynn, I would expect better than that. "Blind folks" is but a
segment of the spectrum - we aren't developing for specific user groups
are we? This is clearly a user-agent issue, and while we should be
cognoscente of the impact; I cringe when we start making decisions based
upon specific user agent "requirements" vs. "the correct thing to do".
For now, it is (like many things) a judgment call at the developer's
end.

JF
--
John Foliot <EMAIL REMOVED>
Web Accessibility Specialist
WATS.ca - Web Accessibility Testing and Services
http://www.wats.ca
Phone: 1-613-482-7053