Re: WebAIM description of low vision

It seems to me that this complaint which is referring to the following
article at the WebAIM site http://webaim.org/articles/visual/ and not
to the WCAG, would be better brought up on the WebAIM list
http://webaim.org/discussion/ or directly with WebAIM staff
http://webaim.org/contact/, since the WebAIM training materials are
neither developed nor endorsed by the WAI.  That being said, the third
page  of the article from which you got that sentence (page 3 is at
http://webaim.org/articles/visual/lowvision) seems to cover everything
you've mentioned.

Katherine

On Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 5:36 AM, GF Mueden@ <gfmueden@verizon.net> wrote:
> The following description of low vision is seriously inadequate and does a
> disservice to those with low vision, especially those who still read with
> their eyes but not well, and whom I suspect are not well served by the
> guidelines:
>
> "Another category of visual disability, low vision, is a common condition
> among the elderly, but younger individuals may also have this disability,
> whether due to genetics, traumatic injuries, or illnesses."
>
> Low vision is not a single disability with a single fix or accommodation.
> (1) Most everybody knows about poor acuity, sharpness of focus, and that
> magnification is the usual fix, but many are not aware that it also calls
> for word wrap to keep the copy on the screen when magnified.
> (2) Fewer people know about poor contrast sensitivity, the ability to
> distinguish between shades of gray or colors and that the fix is heavier
> lines and bold fonts.  Magnification helps to see the print, but a larger
> skinny character is still skinny and hard to read.  The viewer needs choice
> of font.
> (3) Limited visual field is usually caused by retinal damage, but also by
> poor acuity requiring a short eye to screen distance.  The fix here is
> minimizing the screen width and pulling in the margins to give a narrow
> column of copy. which in turn calls for word wrap to keep the copy in the
> column.  Many IT professionals are unaware of the limited field problem.
>
>>>> If these things are covered in the guidelines, please let me know about
>>>> it so I can quote them when I tell websites about where they offend.  I
>>>> don't want just to complain, but to be helpful.
> ===gm===
>
>



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Katherine Mancuso
web accessibility, online community, social media

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Received on Sunday, 16 September 2012 13:20:29 UTC