Re: Disability access

[disabiity user]

hi,

I would like to see a complete version that uses either mouse or keyboard to access ALL the menus and submenus, so that people with disabilities would have access, hopefully.

Also, more use of the title and alt tags, so that a description of the link, would describe what the link is, would be "read" by someone who is blind,
via a screen reader.

Also, the option to have in the menu complete Resizable text, so the text DOES grow inside the menu, for people who have poor eyesight, or larger screen resolutions, or both!!!!

[Andy]

Using the keyboard with the menu will be browser dependant.

We have a demo at http://www.milonic.co.uk/menu/keypress_sample.php that although in beta test stage works well with modern browsers

This will be implemented fully into verison 4.0 but for now you could use the demo.

BTW - Tooltips for menu items is also on the way with version 4.0

Cheers
Andy

[pbowers]

Also, more use of the title and alt tags, so that a description of the link, would describe what the link is, would be "read" by someone who is blind,
via a screen reader.

You can implement menu item descriptions already:

,"<span title='Piping design theory'>THEORY</SPAN>","http://www.pipingdesign.com/designtheory.html onbackcolor=666666;offbackcolor=FFFFFF;onbordercolor=FFFFFF;offbordercolor=666666;",,,0

Example at http://www.pipingdesign.com

Paul

[John]

disability user -

If you're also a developer here's a nice list of sites with good info on creating accessible pages. Compiled by a gent in the UK (wherever that is!)...

1) About Accessible Information -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/access/welcome.htm

2) See It Right Accessible Website Scheme -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/siraccess/

3) Campaign for Good Web Design -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/

4) List of Organisations Accredited with the See it Right logo -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/siraccess/

5) Hints for Designing Accessible Websites -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/hints.htm

6) Access Friendly Web Designers -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/design.htm

7) Web Accessibility Initiative General Information -
http://www.w3.org/wai/

Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines -
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
{emoticon unintended...}

9) Getting Started: Making a Website Accessible -
http://www.w3.org/WAI/gettingstarted/

10) Website that Simulates Colourblind Vision -
http://www.vischeck.com/

11) List of Access Technology -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/technology/

12) List of Suppliers of Access Technology -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/techshare/suppliers.htm

13) Advice on Buying Equipment -
http://www.rnib.org.uk/techshare/suppliers.htm

14) Agencies for blind and partially sighted people -
http://info.rnib.org.uk/Agencies/ukagencies.htm

15) Bobby, a free online tool that checks sites for accessibility issues -
http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp

16) How to create accessible Adobe PDF files -
http://access.adobe.com/booklet1.html

[Joao]

I would like to see a complete version that uses either mouse or keyboard to access ALL the menus and submenus, so that people with disabilities would have access, hopefully.

Hi.

I was recently contacted by a blind member of my club, and she mentioned that she couldn't access the club's home page due to the fact that the menus were not compliant with text-only browsers. So I did the following:

At the begining of the body, right after the script tags, I inserted:

<noscript>
<table>
<tr>
<td VALIGN="TOP">
Menu box 1
<ul>
<li><a href="option1.htm">Option 1</a><br>
.
.
.
.
.
.</td>
<td VALIGN="TOP">
</noscript>

And then at the end of the code, just before the </body> tag:

<noscript>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</noscript>

On text-only browsers, this adds the menu at the begining of the page, and on javascript-disabled browsers, it adds the meny as a table box on the left side of the page.

Cheers.

[Andy]

Is it common practice then for blind people to disable JavaScript?

I suppose, thinking about it, it's the text they are interested in and not some fancy special effects or clever menus.

I apologise for my ignorance on this matter. I am discovering more and more about building software for people with difficulties and I am very excited about gaining Section 508 approval. Hopefully this should happen once version 4.0 is a stable release.

Cheers
Andy

[Joao]

Is it common practice then for blind people to disable JavaScript?

The few blind folks I know use text-only non-javascript browsers. I also know of quite a few people who have javascript disabled for security, pop-up avoidance, or personal preferences.

Cheers.

[Maz]

When developing a site to be javascript compliant with disabilites, do you think that a text message would encourage turning on javascript?