RE: DHTML show/hide sections & screen readers

a bit more information.
In Jaws in Windows Explorer
when you arrow to 
+ Local Disk (C:) 
jaws says - Local Disk C closed
when you hit right arrow, the screen changes to 
- C: and all top level folders are shown, 
jaws says - Local Disk C open 26(or some number) items
if you hit left arrow the folder closes and the - changes to a + and 
jaws says - Local Disc C closed.

if I have a tree with C: and a folder (stuff) and a sub-folder (more stuff) then Jaws also gives level information.
so 
My Computer (level 1)
C: (level 2)
Stuff (level 3)
More Stuff (level 4)

as you up or down arrow JAWS say the level (for the first list item), name of the item, and state (open/closed)

Translating the functionality to the web, and using the +/- metaphor as in http://www.webreference.com/programming/css_content/index.html 
It would be great to have the +/- say "closed" and "opened", punctuation levels vary by user, screen reader, and text to speech synthesizer. May have to use images (with alt) that change. In the Webreference example above the "+" is spoken but not the "-", and the browser indicates that the link state has changed to visited when the link is activated.  

Would be interesting to do some usability testing on this topic. Will propose the idea to the university usability lab. 

Just have to find more examples.


Jim Allan, Webmaster & Statewide Technical Support Specialist
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9264  http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"I see the Earth. It is so beautiful."--first words spoken by human in space.
[Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, from the Vostok 1, April 12, 1961.] 

On Mon, 16 May 2005 11:07:59 +0200, Rebecca Cox  
<Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz> wrote:

> Think this is getting a bit too involved to figure out without sitting  
> next to someone and having a look / listen, but what happens with the  
> + to expand and - to close folders in Windows
> Explorer & a screen reader? Do they have a sort of alt or title-like  
> text read out?
-- 
Charles McCathieNevile                      Fundacion Sidar
charles@sidar.org   +61 409 134 136    http://www.sidar.org

Received on Monday, 16 May 2005 16:21:47 UTC