- From: <thatch@us.ibm.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 12:14:19 -0500
- To: Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org>
- cc: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org, pjenkins@us.ibm.com
I believe that the most serious impedement to access to commercial web content today is the inability to identify the main content of a non-frames page. I say non-frames, because if the frames pages are well coded (which in general they are not) frames are a solution. Gregg and others have said that this problem is addressed by checkpoint 12.3 but it doesn't clearly address it, in my opinion. The technique does not address the problem. Here is my version of the problem. Across the top are a bunch of links for global site navigation, and several ads and images. Down the side, usually right side, are many more links and notes and topics, and navigation entries. Then the main content, the headlined story, the search results, on the bottom right three quarters of the screen. If you listen to the whole page with a screen reader or Home Page Reader, you hear all the top panel with global navigation and ads. You hear all the section navigation down the right. Finally you hear the main content. The first time at the site, maybe you want to hear all that. I say "Maybe." I certainly never read all that stuff, but with HPR I have to listen to it. There are anecdotal solutions for this when browsing with some systems. For example, Window-eyes allows the user to skip to the next non-active (normal) text. This can be very effective when all the junk is links and the main content is not! HPR automatically sikps over maps and select menus unless stopped. As far as author solutions, I know of only one that has been proposed so far. "Skip navitaion," or "skip to main content" first appeared on the American Council of the Blind site (www.acb.org) and is on our Special Needs System site (www.ibm.com/sns). We are trying to get it in all IBM sites. In our case, the link is attached to an insignificant graphic. (Did I just say the graphic for IBM is insignificant?) Because HPR skips over maps, if all navigation were presented by maps, it would be better. But since IE5 doesn't present alt text for maps, it is not a solution for screen readers today. I do worry about solutions that will work today. I think instead of stressing maps, the technique should suggest placing skip links, "skip over global navigation links," "skip over advertising" (ha!), "skip over left panel navigation," etc. Jim Thatcher IBM Special Needs Systems www.ibm.com/sns thatch@us.ibm.com (512)838-0432 Ian Jacobs <ij@w3.org> on 07/09/99 12:04:22 PM To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org cc: (bcc: James Thatcher/Austin/IBM) Subject: Technique: Use MAP to identify navigation mechanisms Hello, In the User Agent Working Group, we're talking what user agents can do to help users navigate, including making navigation mechanisms readily available. I am charged with an action to propose a technique for the Web Content Techniques: use MAP to create navigation bars/group related links. In the 5 May Techniques document, section 4.6.1 ("Grouping and bypassing links") [1], an example shows <P class="nav">. Should use the following markup instead? <MAP name="map1"> <P>Navigate the site: <A href=".." shape="rect" coords="..">Access Guide</a> | <A href=".." shape="rect" coords="..">Go</A> | <A href=".." shape="circle" coords="..">Search</A> | <A href=".." shape="poly" coords="..">Top Ten</A> </MAP> User agents may assume that the MAP element is used to create navigation mechanisms (whether image maps or more accessible ones with rich content). - Ian [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/#group-bypass -- Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org) http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs Tel/Fax: +1 212 684-1814
Received on Saturday, 10 July 1999 13:21:49 UTC