[WEB4LIB] Re: Dropdowns, Rollovers and Accessibility

[Samuel Mcdonald]

don't forget the <noscript> tags!.  If you have your dynamic functions
written to the page with javascript and have an alternate simple version
in the no script you can often make an accessible interface.  Don't forget
other kinds of impairment such as colorblindness, using small fonts on
images (which won't scale..there are a lot of people who are not blind,
but their tri-focals don't work as well on monitors to be usable and
finally, don't make clickable things too small (I sprained my right wrist
once, and navigating left handed with a mouse was hard on some
things..also, my mother never seems to have the knack for clicking small
things).


On Mon, 5 Feb 2001, Thomas Dowling wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Eric Robbins" <erobbins at nslsilus.org>
> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 05, 2001 4:52 PM
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] Dropdowns, Rollovers and Accessibility
> 
> 
> > We are currently redesigning our library's site, and want to make sure
> that
> > it is as accessible as possible. Does anybody have information on
> whether
> > the use of rollovers and dropdowns impede usage for the visually
> impaired?
> >
> 
> A good, quick and dirty test is to disable JavaScript in your browser.
> Can you still use the page? After that, put the mouse away and use the
> keyboard only, or get a copy of Lynx from <URL:http://lynx.browser.org/>
> and see if your pages can be used.
> 
> There's no absolute answer to your question.  You need to read
> <URL:http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505/#gl-new-technologie
> s> (assuming you accept that as your guidelines for accessibility) and
> determine for yourself if you meet at least this priority 1 checkpoint:
> 
> "Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic
> objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide
> equivalent information on an alternative accessible page."  (Hint: assume
> this is possible.  Don't cop out with a "Text Only" page unless you
> really, *really* have to.  REALLY.)
> 
> Some really quick pointers.  Always use valid URLs as hrefs; avoid "<a
> href='javascript...'>".  This is simply broken for any JavaScript-disabled
> browser.  Make sure there are alternate paths to any link that appears
> only in response to an onmouse* event.  Make sure all forms have an action
> and a submit button.
> 
> Just by asking the question, you are way ahead of the game.
> 
> 
> Thomas Dowling
> OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
> tdowling at ohiolink.edu
> 
> 

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Samuel J. McDonald                                smcdon at rci.rutgers.edu
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