- From: <andisnow@us.ibm.com>
- Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 17:28:42 -0500
- To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Here are my comments on the techniques documents. Neither section 5.2 Text equivalents in the general document nor section 7.1 Short text equivalents for images in the HTML Techniques seems to allow for alt="" or alt=" ". General comment about structure of the set of documents.... The links for each checkpoint in the general techniques document sometimes link to sections that cover more than one checkpoint. It is often unclear which techniques must be used to satisfy a particular checkpoint. This is an issue if the "set" of checkpoints are of mixed priority level. A web site author trying to meet all priority 1 checkpoints will have trouble identifying which techniques must be used to satisfy a particular checkpoint. For example: Checkpoint 5.1 is a priority 1 checkpoint. In the General Techniques document, there is one HTML technique link for this checkpoint, to Tables of data, section 5.1, in the HTML Techniques document. But the Tables of data section starts off by listing 2 priority 1 and 2 priority 3 checkpoints that are covered by the techniques in the section. The techniques, however, are not grouped by checkpoint. If authors are trying to meet the two priority 1 checkpoints, how do they determine which techniques to use? Quick fix suggestion: Move text beginning with "Content developers may make HTML 4 data tables more accessible...." through "...Refer to [WAI-ER} and the following section on creating linearized versions of tables @@link." to the end of the section. This moves the priority 1 techniques to the beginning of the section. Reword the paragraph that begins "For information about table headers..." to "For information on specifying row and column headers (checkpoint 5.1), refer to ..." Add a paragraph prior to the two examples: "The following examples illustrate two techniques for associating data cells and header cells (checkpoint 5.2)." HTML Techniques Section 4.1.1 Images used as bullets includes two guidelines that begin with "avoid" doing something but if you do do it, you should provide a text equivalent for the bullet image. Do we infer that in all other cases, we don't need to provide a text equivalent for the bullet image? HTML Techniques Section 6.1 Links includes a paragraph that begins "If two or more links refer to different targets but share the same link text, distinguish...." I think we should discourage this practice. Suggest changing wording to "Avoid using defining multiple links on a page with the same link text that refer to different targets. If links to different targets must share the same link text, distinguish ...." Minor editorial comments on the general techniques document... Should 5.15 Audio information, 5.16 Visual information and motion, and 5.17 Collated text transcripts really be sub-headings under 5.14 Audio and Video or is there more content planned for section 5.14? Some Glossary terms are strictly definitions while others include guidelines. Specifically, - Depracated has one paragraph of definition followed by a second paragraph on guidelines - Device independent provides rationale, guidelines, and an example but no real definition of device independent - Equivalent has some guidelines embedded throughout it - Image map contains a guideline as the first sentence of the third paragraph. In the Glossary definition for Style sheets, there is a definition of Presentation markup. Is this really part of the style sheets definition or should Presentation markup be separated out as a separate term? Andi andisnow@us.ibm.com IBM Accessibility Center - Special Needs Systems (512) 838-9903, http://www.ibm.com/able Internal Tie Line 678-9903, http://w3.austin.ibm.com/~snsinfo
Received on Thursday, 13 July 2000 18:35:17 UTC