Re: Proposed clarification to checkpoints 3.3, 3.5, 3.6

aloha, jon!

in a recent post, you wrote:

quote
b. Distractions for people with cognitive disabilities (freezing does not 
resolve, this is the reason to turn off images)
unquote

why force this group of users to turn off images?  why not a "suppress 
flicker" or "control roll-over rate" setting?  the information contained in 
the roll over graphic or flickering image may be important and may be what 
the person is looking for, only they need to step through the roll over or 
video because they can process it more efficiently in increments then they 
can when it is funning full speed or when presented with a textual 
equivalent...  why does user controlled freezing not resolve this 
issue?  for some, the combination of images and pictures may be 
overwhelming, but for others it is the movement that is distracting, not 
the graphic itself...

my main question is: why this urge for either or resolutions?  turning 
things off in the cases we've been discussing isn't an accessibility 
solution -- it is a preventative measure...  it doesn't provide the user 
with what he or she may need to process the information in their individual 
modality, only protects them from physical harm and mental strain, but does 
_not_ increase the accessibility of the content...  why?  simply because 
turning a graphical presentation off, may cause as gaping a perceptual 
black hole for one user that the lack of a textual equivalent causes for 
another...  yes, there are requirements in WCAG and elsewhere that a 
textual equivalent be presented when support for multimedia objects is 
disabled, but is text always the best solution?  a quick review of the CD 
debate that has been raging on the GL list for the past few months would 
suggest it is not the sine qua non of accessibility...

gregory.



------------------------------------------------
Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a
blank piece of paper until the drops of blood
form on your forehead.            -- Gene Fowler
------------------------------------------------
Gregory J. Rosmaita <unagi69@concentric.net>
WebMonster and Minister of Propaganda, VICUG NYC
      <http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/>
------------------------------------------------

Received on Tuesday, 13 June 2000 14:29:49 UTC