Re: Graphic Designers work - potential for WCAG?

Matt,

   Whatever multi-media you are planning to create in, please know that
shockwave crashes on an NT system, Flash does not .... Folks who are
accessing information on a work system may have NT, and would be more able
to use Flash ...

					Anne

At 04:31 PM 5/22/01 -0700, Matt May wrote:
>The thread so far seems to be taking for granted the concept that graphical
>elements will be added to a single, monolithic guidelines document, and I'd
>like to challenge that assumption. I think that we should consider the
>development of a non-text-oriented guidelines implementation as an adjunct
>to the current model.
>
>The core of HTML, which, while hacked over the years to accommodate various
>forms of multimedia, was designed to present textual information in a
>structured format such as that used in the W3C specifications. I think it's
>important that, at least, one way the guidelines are presented is in the
>same structured format we have now. Graphical examples, icons and earcons
>inside each guideline and checkpoint have the effect of adding clutter that
>detracts from the familiar structure of the document, which is an access
>problem all its own.
>
>The only way around this limitation is to design to the strengths of
>graphical and multimedia presentation to explain the content of the
>document. If this is done using, say, SVG, it could be linked with the HTML
>guidelines, and it wouldn't violate the checkpoint on using languages, etc.
>that can be made accessible (Flash being a severe trouble spot here).
>
>In fact, I think this is something we need to consider in our discussion of
>the inclusion of graphics and multimedia with a view toward accessibility:
>the most effective repurposing of an awful lot of content depends on that
>content being restructured (or even rewritten) for the medium. The most
>basic example of that is that newscasters don't read magazine articles on
>the air, and magazines don't print TV transcripts. If the presence of other
>media is a requirement, it's essential that the content provider must have
>the latitude to design for those media, rather than continuing to shoehorn
>media into HTML. (Note that this does not imply my approval of such a
>requirement; just that in that event, the need is there.)
>
>-
>m
>
>
Anne Pemberton
apembert@erols.com

http://www.erols.com/stevepem
http://www.geocities.com/apembert45

Received on Tuesday, 22 May 2001 21:07:08 UTC