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Thread: JAWS and online forms question
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From: Miller, Lisa F. (LMS)
Date: Thu, Feb 20 2003 2:41PM
Subject: JAWS and online forms question
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We are developing an online form, and are having problems navigating thru
the from with JAWS. There are a number of labeled input fields, which each
have text instructions preceeding them, such as:
==This is a long instruction on how to correctly fill out field 1, plus any
reference information which might be needed.
Field1 Label: ___________
This is a long instruction on how to correctly fill out field 2, plus any
reference information which might be needed.
Field2 Label: ____________
==
When our tester navigates this page with JAWS, the instructions lines are
skipped because it is navigating thru the input fields only - to get the
text, he has to change modes, which a blind person would not know to do -
there is no indication to the user that the text is there.
Right now the page is built with one set of FORM tags - is there any way,
other than wrapping each individual input field with its own FORM tag, to
get JAWS to read the instruction text? We are debating placing the text
into read only textareas, but this would not be our first choice. Has
anyone else ran across this - maybe already solved this for us?
Thanks,
Lisa F. Miller
BWXT Y-12 - Technical Computing
Email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
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From: John Foliot - bytown internet
Date: Thu, Feb 20 2003 5:18PM
Subject: RE: JAWS and online forms question
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Lisa,
define "long".
If it's not *too* long, you might consider wrapping the entire expalation in
the <label> element, especially if it is crucial information. Using Fields
sets may also aid in navigating your form:
<form action="foo">
<fieldset title="Field One">
<legend>Field One</legend>
<p>This is a long instruction on how to correctly fill out field 1, plus any
reference information which might be needed.</p>
<label for="field_one">Field1 Label:</label><input type="text"
name="field_one" id="field_one" title="Possible inclusion of explanation
text.">
</fieldset>
<fieldset title="Field Two">
<legend>Field Two</legend>
<label for="field_two"><p>This is a long instruction on how to correctly
fill out
field 2, plus any reference information which might be needed.</p>
Field2 Label:</label><input type="text" name="field_two" id="field_two">
</fieldset>
</form>
I tested this in HPR, and the second fieled carried the explanation forward
when using "Link" mode (similar to JAWs Forms Mode)
Just a thought... requires real world testing
JF
>
From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Thu, Feb 20 2003 8:20PM
Subject: Re: JAWS and online forms question
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Lisa,
This is a good example of a usability problem for people using assistive technology. The information is
accessible - the user could get it if he knew it was there, but your testing is indicating that a problem exists
and that is worth listening to.
You could either take the suggestion to use fieldset and legend, or you could indicate somehow that
additional information for a particular input is available in the label. If you indicated at the top of the form at
an asterisk in the label indicates additional information about the input is available just above the input, it
might work for some users, but you'll probably get lots of junky data from people who don't understand what
is going on or use the additioanl info.
If you are talking about a form like the one at:
http://www.ma.doe.gov/energy/web.html
(which seems to fit your description), I don't think that the extra text would be necessary if the labels on the
inputs were more descriptive. I don't believe that I could complete this form successfully - there is extra
text, but I don't get what I'm supposed to enter into the form.
If you send the list a link to a sample page, I'm sure you'd get lots of advice.
Andrew
2/20/2003 4:34:51 PM, "Miller, Lisa F. (LMS)" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>We are developing an online form, and are having problems navigating thru
>the from with JAWS. There are a number of labeled input fields, which each
>have text instructions preceeding them, such as:
>
>==>This is a long instruction on how to correctly fill out field 1, plus any
>reference information which might be needed.
>
>Field1 Label: ___________
>
>This is a long instruction on how to correctly fill out field 2, plus any
>reference information which might be needed.
>
>Field2 Label: ____________
>
>==>
>When our tester navigates this page with JAWS, the instructions lines are
>skipped because it is navigating thru the input fields only - to get the
>text, he has to change modes, which a blind person would not know to do -
>there is no indication to the user that the text is there.
>
>Right now the page is built with one set of FORM tags - is there any way,
>other than wrapping each individual input field with its own FORM tag, to
>get JAWS to read the instruction text? We are debating placing the text
>into read only textareas, but this would not be our first choice. Has
>anyone else ran across this - maybe already solved this for us?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Lisa F. Miller
>BWXT Y-12 - Technical Computing
>Email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
>
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>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
>visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
>
Andrew
--
Andrew Kirkpatrick
CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
125 Western Ave.
Boston, MA 02134
E-mail: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Web site: ncam.wgbh.org
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