Re: www accessibility for non-readers

jonathan chetwynd wrote:

> Having studied the relevant parts of http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WD-WAI-PAGEAUTH-19990226/  these are my thoughts
>  
> 0.0 
>     Where possible sites should be transparent in meaning without the use of 
>      text.
>     ~1-5% of the adult population are non-readers.

We hope that checkpoint 16.2 addresses this:

    Use icons or graphics (with a text equivalent) 
    where they facilitate comprehension of the page.
  
> 1.0  Provide text equivalents for text.
>     ensure that the minimum text is used that conveys the meaning, with links to details.
>     ~50% have a vocabulary of 2k words.

This sounds like a possible technique for checkpoint 16.1.
  
> 1.01
>     Provide data in site titles (meta tabs) as to number of words used and readability (flesch reading ease).

Again, this sounds like a technique related to checkpoint 16.1
  
> 1.1   
>     Provide a means in the common browsers for:
>     turning off text labels (ALT) for non-readers.
>     excluding complex or lengthy sites (1.01), conversely trite or youthful ones
  

This facility is more suited to the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines
(see http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA). The guidelines being developed
in that Working Group address issues such as control of alternative
text.

> z.z
>     Provide tabs for text in HTML

I'm sorry but I don't understand this comment.

Thank you for taking the time to review the document,

 - Ian

-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org) 
http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs

Received on Thursday, 11 March 1999 12:46:30 UTC