Re: Example of Good Summary (Was: Issues of @summary and use of data for "decisions")

(Simon Pieters CC'ed me, so this thread got my attention.)

Simon Pieters wrote:
> Simon Pieters  wrote:
>> Looking at the algorithm for forming a table in the spec, the user
>> agent has at least the following information at hand:
>>
>>    1. The number of rows and columns.
>>    2. Where the header cells are.
>>    3. Whether there are any merged cells.
>>    4. Whether there are slots without a cell, or slots with
>> overlapping cells.
>
> I looked at a number of tables in Ben's collection of tables at
> http://projectcerbera.com/web/study/2007/tables/
>
> Here are my notes about what (2) might read like:

Sadly I cannot review and help develop HTML5 accessibility features since 
nowhere would fund me to continue doing so. (At least, nowhere without 
strings attached.)

Still, it's heart-warming to know I'm still remembered, albeit inactive. 
Better still is seeing my past research being put to good use, which seems 
to be the case having skimmed through Simon's automated <table> summary 
ideas. :)

FWIW, I read a long time ago that one or other popular screenreader would 
announce the number of rows and columns, along with other details of the 
table's structure. A quick web search turned up neither an authoritative 
page nor a relevant screenshot of the "Verbosity Settings" where I recalled 
things like this were controlled.

Nearest I found was this image:

<http://images.apple.com/macosx/accessibility/images/voiceover_utility20090608.jpg>

On this web page:

<http://www.apple.com/macosx/accessibility/>

Hopefully a more determined (and better-funded!) Participant will be able to 
find out how sophisticated the automatic announcements of AT already are.

More importantly, whether such announcements help users and which skill 
levels benefit from them most. (If they are only useful to a niche of 
affected users, perhaps such a feature is not worth specifying in HTML5?)

-- 
Ben Millard (formerly Cerbera)
<http://projectcerbera.com/blog/>

Received on Wednesday, 1 July 2009 14:37:50 UTC