- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn@idyllmtn.com>
- Date: Mon, 04 Jun 2001 12:13:14 -0700
- To: sec508@trace.wisc.edu
- Cc: <michael_cortese@ita.doc.gov>, "_W3C-WAI Web Content Access. Guidelines List" <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>, "_W3C WAI XTECH" <wai-xtech@w3.org>, "_W3C WAI EO" <w3c-wai-eo@w3.org>, "_Trace 508 List" <sec508@trace.wisc.edu>
My main worry about using <img> for "invisible" skip nav links is that it's just more of misusing the markup; it's a hack, and not a real good solution for the long term. It involves mislabeling and misapplying alt text, and using images pointlessly, and confuses presentation and structure and content -- and ultimately that will not prove to be a blessing for the cause. Without sounding too much like an advertisement for Reef EveryWare (I hope), I really do think the best general solution is to create web sites which can automatically adapt themselves (or be adapted) to provide those types of links on demand for anyone who would request them. This is one of the cases in which there is no good solution using a single interface. A "skip navigation" link is required by people who can benefit from it, but it serves only to confuse and damage the usability for those who don't. This is a case where a single-interface presentation will continue to prove to be limited, and where there is a need for a system that can produce output tailored to the expressed needs of the users, rather than simply relying on a "one size fits all" approach. --Kynn -- Kynn Bartlett <kynn@idyllmtn.com> http://kynn.com/ Technical Developer Liaison, Reef http://www.reef.com/ Chief Technologist, Idyll Mountain Internet http://idyllmtn.com/ Online Instructor, Accessible Web Design http://kynn.com/+d201
Received on Monday, 4 June 2001 15:21:57 UTC