Re: Action Item - Background sounds

>  I read with interest the note from Mr. Joe Clark.  It is clear to 
>this individual that just looking at a page and making assumptions 
>is not enough to assume that there is adequate accessibility.

Actually-- and thanks ever so much for asking-- this individual did 
two weeks of research on colourblindness, including talking to 
leading researchers in the field and amassing half an inch of 
clippings, in order to write the "Type & Colour" chapter in his book 
on Web accessibility, which was then vetted by those experts. (Check 
the acknowledgements.)

Inasmuch as no person in the history of human civilization has been 
able to determine what another person sees, I am as well-informed on 
colour deficiencies as any layperson could reasonably be.

>Mr. Clark points to: http://www.wpdfd.com/ as an example of a page 
>that puts text over graphics and stiill remains accessible - not the 
>case for me.
>[...]
>It just goes to show that those without significant color 
>blindness/contrast issues are NOT in a position to say what is the 
>best for those of us who have this issue.

You can't tell me what I see and I can't tell you what you see. It's 
real simple.

Do you refer to the word "Comment," the small "taming the electronic 
page," or the (orange) phrases "search" and "a case history"?

Oh, but wait.

How 'bout the white text on the background? Not bad, right?

So maybe it's a contrast issue. Maybe that contrast issue could be 
resolved easily through user stylesheets or user-agent reprogramming, 
and does not require a WAI edict that page authors code a way to 
destry or remove their own page backgrounds.
-- 

     Joe Clark | joeclark@joeclark.org
     Accessibility <http://joeclark.org/access/>
     Weblogs and articles <http://joeclark.org/weblogs/>
     <http://joeclark.org/writing/> | <http://fawny.org/>

Received on Sunday, 20 April 2003 21:56:11 UTC