- From: Charles (Chuck) Oppermann <chuckop@MICROSOFT.com>
- Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 12:56:10 -0700
- To: Bryan Campbell <bryany@pathcom.com>, w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
<< Yet the Help menu item seldom has sub-items that change how a program functions so it isn't too intuitive to have Accessibility settings there. Also not every applet has Help or Preferences options so naming the option seems too specific, though those aren't poor places for these settings. Having Accessibility in the first option is a way to ensure that the uninitiated (the point J Gunderson notes below) can easily come upon the settings, & easily toggle them On/Off. >> This is a difficult issue, because so many things affect accessibility. This is one of the reasons we created the Accessibility Wizard for Windows 98. That wizard asks the users a series of questions and sets options across the system, including display resolution, mouse pointers, and accessibility-specific options. Just taking the browser for example, you have colors and font type settings - should those be in the Accessibility dialog or in a more general place? After all, everyone uses those and if they are in a Accessibility dialog, mainstream users might not find them. Same is true of the font size. Our philosophy is this - place accessibility-specific options in a dialog clearly labeled "Accessibility" and gotten though from the first page of the Options dialog. As far as the guidelines go, the recommendation should be something like "Make accessibility-specific features and options available in a clearly marked and easily accessible section of the program. Preferably alongside general and often used settings." Charles Oppermann Program Manager, Active Accessibility, Microsoft Corporation mailto:chuckop@microsoft.com http://microsoft.com/enable "A computer on every desk and in every home, usable by everyone!"
Received on Thursday, 20 August 1998 15:55:52 UTC