Re: Fw: Checkpoint 3.3

At 12:01 AM 7/15/1999 -0700, Robert Neff wrote:
>Anne,  please butt in <smile>
>
>my issues are simple.  CSS is great but the web browser world wants to be
>special, do their own thing and cause us web developers a headache, actually
>migraines.  Used to be you designed for two browsers in HTML and the worst
>thing is a site did not render well.  Now with CSS we need to worry if it
>works on a every version or degrades gracefully.

I wonder if the "web browser world" is trying to cause headaches, or is
responding to the needs and wants of their customers as they know them? If
CSS doesn't work on "every version", especially if the browsers it doesn't
work in represents a large percentage of users, CSS isn't ready yet for
"Prime Time". A page that uses CSS should have an opening (home)page that
isn't CSS that includes directions to users of unsupported browsers to
"turn off" whatever they need to turn off. Of course that won't be of help
to users who link to somewhere inside the site with a browser that is
"blown up" by the structure of the site... 

The folks I know in VA are creating government web sites (state gov't,
state dept of ed, local city sites, local school sites) are mostly
self-taught in web creation. Many do web development as an aside to their
"real job". If including accessibility to comply with law happens, I agree
that the EO group has a great task to do!  

I can deliver an HTML
>site that is Triple AAA without CSS  (If it wasn't for Checkpoint 3), so why
>do I all of a sudden need CSS?  If I use HTML properly and follow
>guidelines, then I will be OK.  

I agree. It doesn't make much sense to require CSS if the purpose can be
achieved by other means and arrive at the same level of usefulness to
specific users. The goal of the guidelines is to arrive at accessibility,
which should be accomplished in more ways than one. After all, the
architect of a building/home can choose to make upper levels accessible
either by ramps, or by installing an elevator, depending on desired
aesthetics and available budget. 

Is there a difference in the accessibility of a page that is created using
CSS or one created using HTML only? 

			Anne




Anne L. Pemberton
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Pav/Academy1
http://www.erols.com/stevepem/apembert
apembert@crosslink.net
Enabling Support Foundation
http://www.enabling.org

Received on Thursday, 15 July 1999 08:52:40 UTC