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JAWS 4.01 and Images as Text for Headings

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From: Snyder, Ethan [JJCUS]
Date: Feb 6, 2002 1:17PM

hi,

On a new web site, we will be using images to represent headings text. For
example:

<H2><IMG SRC="news_header.gif" ALT="Company News"></H2>

instead of

<H2>Company News</H2>

I know that this practice is discouraged by W3C, but it is a requirement
from our client (for aesthetic purposes).

In testing the above with JAWS 4.01, we're having difficulty with the
Headings List dialog box (INSERT + F6). When images are used to represent
headings text, the actual title for the heading is not displayed in the
dialog box. I thought perhaps that JAWS would list the image "ALT" text
when an image is contained in a heading tag, but this does not work. I also
tried specifying both title or id attributes for the heading element, and
neither of these work.

To summarize my question:

Is there a way to properly list the heading title in the headings list
dialog box (JAWS 4.01) when images are used for headings?

Thank you very much for your help. As our project has an aggressive
schedule, an expeditious response is greatly appreciated if possible.

Reg