Re: Accessibility of ALT texts

Actually, even saner would be to be able to query the image itself for its
description. See, for example, Describing and retrieving photos using RDF and
HTTP - a W3C note at http://www.w3.org/TR/photo-rdf/ which shows how this can
be done.

It should also be possible to do this for out of line images using a service
like Annotea http://www.w3.org/2001/02/Annotea but I haven't managed it yet.
I'll chase the Annotea team to find out if it is me or them...

cheers

Charles McCN

On Wed, 11 Apr 2001, gregory j. rosmaita wrote:

  aloha, again!

  it just struck me as i tried to fall asleep that the sanest syntax (given
  the present state of affairs) with which to link a CSS-generated graphic to
  a textual equivalent/description might be the following (warning: the second
  URI is fictitious):

  background-image: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/qabg.png);
  background-image-longdesc:
  url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/longdesc/qabg.html)
  or
  background-image: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/qabg.png);
  background-image-alt: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/longdesc/qabg.html)
  or
  background-image: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/qabg.png);
  background-image-desc: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/longdesc/qabg.html)

  the contents of the background-image-longdesc or background-image-alt or
  background-image-desc could then be pulled inline by the browser/UA to
  provide for an inline textual description if (a) image loading is turned
  off, and (b) the UA is configured to display descriptions of background
  images inline--and, if condition b were met, then the content of the BODY of
  the document referenced by the background-image-longdesc/alt/desc could then
  be rendered in place of the background image, or be made available via a
  context menu type functionality from a placeholder graphic, or be accessible
  in toto via a UA-generated hyperlink, etc.

  perhaps there are 3-levels for which functionality is needed:

  background-image: url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/qabg.png);
  background-image-alt: "Quality Assurance and Conformance";
  background-image-longdesc:
  url(http://www.w3.org/QA/images/longdesc/qabg.html)

  with the background-image-alt being required if using background-image, or
  perhaps the pseudo-elemental "content" construct (actually, i think the
  correct term is "property") could simply be recycled for the purpose of
  providing a brief textual alternative?

  gregory, who probably should be asleep.


-- 
Charles McCathieNevile    http://www.w3.org/People/Charles  phone: +61 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative     http://www.w3.org/WAI    fax: +1 617 258 5999
Location: 21 Mitchell street FOOTSCRAY Vic 3011, Australia
(or W3C INRIA, Route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France)

Received on Wednesday, 11 April 2001 06:55:04 UTC