RE: make Macromedia Flash Accessible

I have created and used Flash files on my family genealogy web site
(www.denmon.org) in my grad education @ NYU's Interactive Telecomm
program course work, but also have included on the page a static image
for browsers that don't have the plug-in...if I may put in my two cents.
(I have also used Director, as well--Director 7.0 seem slightly better,
but I have not worked with it enough to know...any thoughts?)

Here at the Lighthouse we are working on redesigning the site
(www.lighthouse.org) and accessibility issues are a high priority in
this process.  We would like to include animations and audio and how to
better understand the ways inwhich we can incorporate this type of
design usability.

...thank you for letting me chime in; look forward to hearing what
others are doing and our continued dialog.

Dean Denmon
Director, Online Communications
Lighthouse International
New York, New York  10022-1202
http://www.lighthouse.org 
Tel:  (212)  821-9202
Fax:  (212)  821-9702
TTY:  (212)  821-9713

-----Original Message-----
From: Neff, Robert [mailto:Robert.Neff@usmint.treas.gov]
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 1999 3:27 PM
To: WAI - EO (E-mail); WAI-GL (E-mail)
Cc: 'kcline@redmon.com'; 'Charles McCathieNevile'
Subject: RE: make Macromedia Flash Accessible 


OBJECTIVE: Make Macromedia FLASH accessible via alternate methods?  Has
anyone done this? This is what we are thinking and  please chime in...we
are
working with Macromedia Flash and not other macromedia formats.  We have
two
premises:
(1)	If the FLASH plug-in is not used, provide an alternate method
viewing and reading .. For example an image or a text
(2)	If the FLASH plug-in is used, provide FLASH FILE and an
alternate
method to either view OR reading, preferably read for web browsers with
the
plug-in turned off, screen readers, pwWebSpeak.  For example as in an
ALT
tag or text and or TITLE tag.  

Please read the bottom message to understand my comments to Ken our
developer and Charles.

Ken:   Hmm, nice thought...but we need the FLASH for the ZOOM-ing and
other
reasons.

Charles, pls read below and circulate if you like.  

Ken do you agree?

/rob
		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Kenneth Cline [mailto:kcline@redmon.com]
		Sent:	Thursday, September 30, 1999 1:45 PM
		To:	'Neff, Robert'
		Subject:	RE: make Macromedia Flash Accessible 

		Rob,

		I may have found the most expedient and elegant solution
to
our dilemma possible.  In most instances, we can merely tell generator
to
display the output as a GIF instead of a flash image.  Try this link to
see
it in
		action.

	
http://207.153.198.240/usmint/fsq/display2.cfm?Plot_Opt=gu&stateg=AL&sta
tet=
		AL&Mint=b&found=NJ&path=207.153.198.240%2Fusmint%2Ffsq

		The code changes are minimal, but it will have the
following
limitations:

		- they can't zoom-in on the maps (it's a gif)
		- the "learn more about the 50 state quarters" page will
probably have to
		stay as a flash piece, because it is interactive (i.e.
they
can click on a
		state)
		- the Fed Reserve Banks page will also have to stay as
flash, because of the
		roll-overs.
		- the image doesn't immediately begin to stream to the
display

		there are also the following advantages:

		- smaller download (the gifs should be around 12k)
		- no need for plug-ins (at all)
		- can alt-tag the heck out of them

		Thoughts?

		-Ken



		> -----Original Message-----
		> From: Neff, Robert
[mailto:Robert.Neff@usmint.treas.gov]
		> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 1999 8:33 AM
		> To: 'Charles McCathieNevile'
		> Cc: Kenneth Cline (E-mail)
		> Subject: RE: make Macromedia Flash Accessible
		>
		>
		> Charles:  thanks and will forward to the experts...
		>
		> Ken:  Good morning Mr. Expert!  PLs erad form the
		> bottom...Could you please
		> review the code (see comments under CMN: ) .  Could
you
		> please make a simple
		> standard operating procedure that we may use as
reference.
		>
		> Thanks!
		>
		> 		-----Original Message-----
		> 		From:	Charles McCathieNevile
[mailto:charles@w3.org]
		> 		Sent:	Tuesday, September 28, 1999 7:11
AM
		> 		To:	Neff, Robert
		> 		Subject:	RE: make Macromedia
Flash
Accessible
		>
		> 		Rob,
		>
		> 		this is exactly the code I was
suggesting.
I'll
		> add a couple
		> of lines to show
		> 		you what I mean, with cmn: in front of
them
-
		> remove that in
		> the real
		> 		thing... (I can't recall if this is the
right way to use
		> EMBED - your coders
		> 		will know whether there is a NOEMBED I
should have used
		>
		> 		cheers
		>
		> 		Charles
		>
		> 		On Tue, 28 Sep 1999, Neff, Robert wrote:
		>
		> 		  Charles,
		>
		> 		  <OBJECT
		> classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
ALT="Plot of
		> 		  the 50 States Quarters Nation Map"
		>
		>
codebase="http://active.macromedia.com/flash2/cabs/swflash.cab
		> #version=3,0,0
		> 		  ,0" ID=va WIDTH=550 HEIGHT=335>
		>
		> 		  <PARAM NAME=movie
		>
		>
VALUE="http://www1.usmint.gov/50states/fsq/flash/usa.swt?leg_1
		> =0&leg_2=35&le
		>
		>
g_3=70&leg_4=104&leg_5=139&leg_6=174&path=www1.usmint.gov/50st
		> ates/fsq&found
		> 		  =GA&mint=B">
		>
		> 		  <PARAM NAME=quality VALUE=high>
		>
		> 		  <EMBED
		>
		>
SRC="http://www1.usmint.gov/50states/fsq/flash/usa.swt?leg_1=0
		> &leg_2=35&leg_
		>
		>
3=70&leg_4=104&leg_5=139&leg_6=174&path=www1.usmint.gov/50stat
		> es/fsq&found=G
		> 		  A&mint=B"
		>
		> 		  swLiveConnect=FALSE WIDTH=550
HEIGHT=335
		> 		  QUALITY=high
		> 		   TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash"
		>
		>
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/inde
		> x.cgi?P1_Prod_
		> 		  Version=ShockwaveFlash">
		>
		> 		CMN: <OBJECT data="the_same_thing.smi"
		> WIDTH="x" HEIGHT="y">
		> 		CMN:   <OBJECT
data="the_animated_image.gif"
WIDTH="x"
		> HEIGHT="y">
		> 		CMN:     THere is some really good stuff
that
		> we have done,
		> but in the
		> 		meantime look at the <IMG SRC="blah"
ALT="blah blah">
		> 		CMN:   </OBJECT>
		> 		CMN: <OBJECT>
		>
		> 		  </EMBED></OBJECT>
		>
		>
		>
		> 		  Thanks, rob
		>
		> 		  		-----Original
Message-----
		> 		  		From:	Charles
McCathieNevile
		> [mailto:charles@w3.org]
		> 		  		Sent:	Monday,
September
27,
		> 1999 11:30 PM
		> 		  		To:	Robert Neff
		> 		  		Cc:
w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
		> 		  		Subject:	Re: make
		> Macromedia Flash
		> Accessible
		>
		> 		  		Actually the way to do
this
in
		> HTML is to
		> use the OBJECT
		> 		  element, with a
		> 		  		cascade that allows you
to
put something
		> more useful than a
		> 		  simpe alt
		> 		  		element.
		>
		> 		  		In fact a SMIL
presentation
is
		> probably more
		> accessible than
		> 		  flash - there
		> 		  		are several players,
including
		> open-source
		> stuff and the
		> 		  Real Networks G2
		> 		  		player. But you can put
that
		> into an object
		> cascade along
		> 		  with the flash
		> 		  		version, a quicktime
movie
(there are
		> circumstances where
		> 		  that is a good
		> 		  		alternative) and a
number of
other
		> versions...
		>
		> 		  		Charles McCN
		>
		> 		  		On Mon, 27 Sep 1999,
Robert
Neff wrote:
		>
		> 		  		  i was thinking another
way
to make
		> Macromedia Flash
		> 		  Accessible for those who
		> 		  		  do not want to
download
the software.
		> Seems there is a
		> 		  way to make an image
		> 		  		  display if you do not
have
		> the plug-in.
		> Of course, if you
		> 		  have an image
		> 		  		  then we can have an
ALT
tag,
		> where we can
		> describe the
		> 		  visual presentation.
		>
		> 		  		  comments?
		>
		>
		> 		  		--Charles McCathieNevile
		> mailto:charles@w3.org
		> 		  		phone: +1 617 258 0992
		> http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
		> 		  		W3C Web Accessibility
Initiative
		> http://www.w3.org/WAI
		> 		  		MIT/LCS  -  545
Technology
sq.,
		> Cambridge
		> MA, 02139,  USA
		>
		>
		> 		--Charles McCathieNevile
		mailto:charles@w3.org
				phone: +1 617 258 0992
http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
				W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
http://www.w3.org/WAI
				MIT/LCS  -  545 Technology sq.,
Cambridge
MA, 02139,  USA

Received on Thursday, 30 September 1999 15:58:01 UTC