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Thread: RE: Commercial accessibility tools
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From: julian.rickards@ndm.gov.on.ca
Date: Thu, May 15 2003 10:51AM
Subject: RE: Commercial accessibility tools
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Michael wrote:
> I think that this tool has been designed for people who have
> a pretty good
> grasp or knowledge of the tools of the trade (HTML, XHTML,
> CSS, WCAG and
> Sect. 508).
As a HTML hand-coder at heart, I believe this to be true which is why I made
reference to the fact that FP2000 does not have the title= attribute nor
does it support CSS (in terms of creating using the WYSIWYG view). I use
DWMX at home but often find myself working in code mode rather than design
mode. This may seem like a wasted expense but considering my publisher
purchased my copy for me, it cost me nothing. Yes, if you don't know the
underlying code, you (1) can't know if the tool is working properly for you
and (2) can't fully appreciate WCAG (and its spinoffs).
To a certain extent, WCAG is subjective. For example, there isn't yet a tool
(as far as I am aware) that can read a document and state where there should
be headings. Even if there are, for example, having it search for short
paragraphs, how would it know what heading level to assign. There are a
number of decisions, editorial and otherwise, that cannot be "programmed"
and require human decision making which means you have to know and
understand the features and functions of (X)HTML and how to use them
properly.
Jules
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