[Bug 10455] Mint a describedby attribute for the img element

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10455





--- Comment #58 from Leif Halvard Silli <xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no>  2010-08-31 17:53:26 ---
(In reply to comment #57)
> (In reply to comment #56)
> > > > 
> > > > > And they don't meet HTML5's underlying semantic  criteria. 
> > > > 
> > > > What is "HTML5's underlying semantic criteria" ? 
   [ snip ]
> I do not see consistency in the decisions. I'm not talking about words
> agreeing, I'm talking about the same principles guiding all decisions.

I thought that you leveled "don't meet HTML5's underlying semantic  criteria"
against "rel='longdesc'". 

>> what happens to the @longdesc if the @alt is empty? [...]

> I would assume that longdesc acts the same way. Just because they're both
> accessibility attributes doesn't mean they're joined at the hip.

Fact 1: The consensus is that an empty @alt equals role="presentation". For the
@longdesc to be presented even when @alt is empty, then it seems logical to me
that one must eventaully establish an exception to that rule, then. (Because,
currently,  an UA should ignore an image which has role="presentation".) 

Fact 2: HTML4 says that @longdesc _complements_ @alt. 

 [ ... ]
> > That said, HTML5 also defines image maps, so cleary some of this belongs there. 
> 
> It does?

Examples of how something can be used  can be placed in the spec.

>> Also, such a thing as <a href="*" rel="longdesc"><img src=diagram
>> alt=description ></a> requires that we take a look at the "how to write @alt
>> texts" section again. It also requires, I guess,  a look at the anchor/area
>> elements.

I guess, btw, that if a link wrapper takes you to a document with a larger
version of the image, then that page with the larger photo could also contain a
visually hidden, longer description. If a screenreader user cannot live with
that, then I think he/she should perhaps also consider using Emacsspeak or some
other text based browser.  If a photo web site _does_ offer a text-only long
description links to its images, then it proves what I said earlier: much more
than @longdesc is needed to make a photo site suitable for blind users.

> > I have some minor mail problems in the moment. But feel free to respond via
> > public-a11y next time.
> 
> I can't. I'm not a member. 

Sorry, I misunderstood you, once again. Now that you say it, I of course
remember that your  are not a member. 

> And I probably won't be continuing in this
> discussion, either, because I'm not sure what's going to happen since Ian was
> removed, and Paul and Sam added as asignees. And I'm not sure I'm adding
> anything to the discussion.

They must tak for themselves.

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Received on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:53:33 UTC