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Thread: Accessible alternative?

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From: Will Miller
Date: Mon, Aug 29 2005 4:14PM
Subject: Accessible alternative?
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Hello all, I am currently assessing the accessibility of a website that
contains an embedded user interface. The embedded interface is an "Editor"
space within the webpage. The Editor includes buttons that allow users to
insert headers, links, images, and text formatting, but the buttons rely on
javascript and are not device independant. There is a text-only version of
the Editor that requires the end user to use mark-up to accomplish the same
functionality as the visual Editor. Could this solution be considered an
"alternative accessible solution" (WCAG guideline 8)? My gut says "no" --
saying that this is equivalent access would be like saying that manually
editing HTML in a text editor is an accessible alternative to using a web
editing tool. Does anyone have any thoughts on the issue? I am primarily
interested in arguments that can be backed up with WCAG guidelines or
Section 508 standards...
Thanks,
Will Miller
New England ADA & Accessible IT Center
1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY)