Re: I think there is a failure missing

On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 3:30 PM, <noreply@w3.org> wrote:

>
> Name: Sheena McCullagh
> Email: sheena.mccullagh@blueyonder.co.uk
> Affiliation: Individual
> Document: W2
> Item Number: Success Criterion 1.1.1
> Part of Item:
> Comment Type: technical
> Summary of Issue: I think there is a failure missing
> Comment (Including rationale for any proposed change):
> Failure F3 looks specifically at using CSS to include images that convey
> important information.  Part of the rational of this is 'Embedding
> information into a background image can also cause problems for people who
> use alternate backgrounds in order to increase legibility and for users of
> high contrast mode in some operating systems. These users, would lose the
> information in the background image due to lack of any alternative text.'
>
> I totally agree with this rational, however very recently there has been a
> trend to either code images as background in the HTML or create them as
> backgrounds using scripting.  It doesn't matter what method is used, the
> effect is still the same, when those of us who need to over-ride specified
> colours do so we lose the image and when those images have functionality, eg
> buttons on plug-in editors (I've been in contact with the AGAT 2 people), we
> really are stuffed.
>
> Personally I time this trend with the advent of IE8, in that it no longer
> displays the alt attribute text as a tool tip.  To get over this web
> designers seem to have taken to coding the images as backgrounds to be able
> to use the title attribute instead.  Fine if you're using a mouse and not
> over-riding specified colours, but a nightmare for those of us with colour
> access needs.  When the images are multiple and set close together, as with
> the editor buttons, it becomes impossible to work.
>
> Proposed Change:
> Either expand F3 to include all methods of coding images in such a way that
> they disappear when in over-ride or create a new failure to cover these
> additional issues.
>
> ===============================
Response from the Working Group
================================
We agree, although we think that these other methods are still relying on
CSS to provide the background image, so this failure still applies. We are
adding examples and modifying the test procedure to make it clear that this
failure applies whether the background image is specified in an HTML style
element, in a CSS style sheet, or is created via scripting.


Loretta Guarino Reid, WCAG WG Co-Chair
Gregg Vanderheiden, WCAG WG Co-Chair
Michael Cooper, WCAG WG Staff Contact


On behalf of the WCAG Working Group