- From: Chuck Hitchcock <chitchcock@cast.org>
- Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 14:28:19 -0400
- To: "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines" <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Anne wrote: >I'm curious about your clicking to provide the full image >in a second window. Why do you choose to put it in another window? >Is there an advantage to the visual user? We are not sure yet. It can be problematic to leave large spaces open for the full size image. Might as well put the image there. If using a thumbnail, growing the image to full size require reformating the content around the image which then causes orientation problems for kids. Where am I, were was I, what's next? When opening in a second window, we find that it is best to open the image to the same screen location but I want to stress that we have not decided that this is a desirable approach. Anne also asked: >Does CAST have, or have access to a narrative to the classic and award >winning children's books that would include reading/interest levels and a >hint at the subject? I don't have such a list but will check around to see of others might. I am not surprised to hear how difficult it has been to find high quality content for your purposes. We have been working with schools in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Texas on this problem for a couple of years and many have resorted to scanning books and putting them into supported reading engines. I just finished preparing and submitting a proposal to create a digital resource library for kids with special needs with the hope that we can begin to share some of this work rather than have it duplicated over and over again. The Texas Book Exchange has been doing this for college and university textbooks with permission from the publishers. We plan to do this in a completely legal manner requiring validation of need. Chuck -----Original Message----- From: Anne Pemberton [mailto:apembert@crosslink.net] Sent: Thursday, August 05, 1999 10:48 AM To: Chuck Hitchcock; Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Subject: RE: Cognition (was Re: Suggested issues that may be addressed in next version of guidelines) At 08:31 AM 8/5/1999 -0400, Chuck Hitchcock wrote: >Some of your recommendations are subjective opinions on how to present images >or graphics that may require some discussion. In this area, I am learning, not learned. I'm open to discussion. We have been experimenting with >the use of full images, iconic representations of images that may be clicked >to provide the full image in a second window, single column text with images >along side but not intruding into the text area, etc. I'm curious about your clicking to provide the full image in a second window. Why do you choose to put it in another window? Is there an advantage to the visual user? The software I use for web authoring does not provide the option to open another window, but I can link an image to a full-sized version and the user hits the back key to return to the original page. We are discovering, as >you might expect, that the best choice depends on purpose and individual >preferences. We'll keep at it. Both purpose and individual preferences will always be factors. If the audience is known, individual preferences may be known. With the wide audience of the web it may be only possible to guess at individual preferences, and the result of missing some will cost audience. Purpose should be an important, if not the most important, consideration. If the purpose of a site is to teach or inform, and individual preferences aren't met satisfactorily, the audience will decline, and so will the "effectiveness" of the site. My efforts at finding suitable sites and e-text for a third grader were more fruitful yesterday than in the past. I have enough e-text or online reading selections to "last the year", but not enough to be able to sift through for quality without running out of "stuff". Sites with activities are available suitably labeled for approximate grade/age use. A big hurdle is that a lot of sites list "classics", "award winners" and other lists of books that contain only book title and author, no guess at an age or grade level preference, or even the subject. It'll be pretty dreary if I have to go to a library and examine every one of those books (couple hundred) to find the ones that are useful, then have Taylor look at each of the useful ones and find the ones with interesting subject matter. Many sites boast lists of books, but the "classics" are always the same, title and author only. Does CAST have, or have access to a narrative to the classic and award winning children's books that would include reading/interest levels and a hint at the subject? If so, you may want to include it in your teacher resources (and send me a copy or give me the URL please!). 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, 5 August 1999 14:27:17 UTC