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Re: Ajax

for

From: Tim Beadle
Date: Oct 9, 2006 3:20AM

On 07/10/06, smithj7 < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Any info on the why will help me help people that want to make their application
> accessible. Note: Please don't be shy if you think Ajax is not problemetic to
> accessiblity. I have mainly made this determination by reading articles on the net. I feel
> there are better alternatives.

Have a look at Jeremy Keith's (author of DOM Scripting: Web Design
with JavaScript and the Document Object Model, pub. by Friends of Ed)
Hijax manifesto/blog post:
http://domscripting.com/blog/display/41

Ajax, like Flash, is only bad if done badly. It can be done well, with
progressive enhancement to ensure that it still works with javascript
turned off. I know there's a problem with screen readers not
understanding DOM/partial page updates, but (apparently) that's a
problem with any behavioural javascript, not just Ajax (which
specifically refers to grabbing data remotely from a server and using
it to update the page, using javascript).

I found this, too:
"AJAX is a great tool for creating rich internet applications,
however, when improperly implemented it can cause huge accessibility
issues. The good news is that most of these issues can be fixed so
your websites are viewable by a much wider audience. Great resources
on accessibility have been around for years, however, many web 2.0 and
AJAX websites ignore all of the research that went into turning
website accessibility into a movement followed by most professional
web developers. Below you'll find a list of 40 best AJAX accessibility
tutorials and articles that I have found on the web in the last year."
http://www.maxkiesler.com/index.php/weblog/comments/how_to_make_your_ajax_applications_accessible/

Best regards,

Tim