LC-969 and SC 3.2.2

SC 3.2.2 current reads:

Changing the setting of any user interface component does not automatically
cause a change of context <http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/>  unless the
authored unit <http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/>  contains instructions
before the component that describe the behavior.

LC-969 
<http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/issue-tracking/viewdata_individual.php?id=9
69>  suggests that requiring the instructions inline is too restrictive.

We definitely want the user to be warned about this behavior before using
the user interface component. Are there techniques other than placing the
instructions in the content somewhere before the control that would provide
sufficient warning?

In email, Gez suggested programmatically associating the information with
the control, somewhat like a label. Do we think this kind of mechanism would
provide the needed warning?

For example, in HTML:

<label for="weird">

Weird contol

<a href="#weirddescription" title="Weird control's focusing
behaviour">Help</a> </label>

<input id="weird" ....

* The alert that there is something the visitor should know about this
control is triggered by the link phrase of, "Help".

* A very brief description could be included in the title attribute, as one
means of providing more information by context

* The target, weirddescription, could be physically located anywhere on the
same page, or in another page, and available on request. The target would
contain the detailed description, which might be just a couple of lines
describing how it works, or point to a relevant part of the manual if the
behaviour was unexpected.

* All of this is programmatically associated with the control, meaning that
it's available to AT.

Loretta Guarino Reid

lguarino@adobe.com

Adobe Systems, Acrobat Engineering