- From: Joe Clark <joeclark@joeclark.org>
- Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 15:29:26 -0500 (EST)
- To: WAI-GL <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
> Guideline 1.6 Make structure perceivable through presentation. [level 2 > guideline] Why, exactly? Why is that the designer's problem? Are we in favour of the separation of structure and presentation or not? Here you're *requiring* that structure and presentation *be linked* through the requirement that they be "perceivable." You're micromanaging people. Can proponents of this measure point me to five semantic, valid-(X)HTML Web sites in which structure is not perceivable? > 1. The structural elements present have a different visual appearance > or auditory characteristic from each other and from body text. [V] > > Editorial Note: We need to define "structural elements" in the above > criterion. You need to throw this whole idea out! It's flat-out insane. Are you saying that authors must somehow set up a stylesheet that makes <em> and <i> appear different? (<em> always appears as italics by default in graphical browsers.) How about <strong> and <b>? What *exact* settings does this guideline require for abbr, acronym, dfn, code, var, samp, ins, del, and similar inline elements? Are you really saying that every single author everywhere has to write one or more stylsheets that makes each and every one of those elements distinguishable from one another? No two can be alike? But how are the learning-disabled people, for whom people like Lisa Seeman want to simply overthrow the existing Web, going to tell them apart without a scorecard? Why is WCAG WG always simultaneously clueless about *and hostile to* Web design? Why is it unable to think its own proposals through? This idea stinks. > 1. Structural emphasis is evident on at least the following displays: > a. black and white monitor, > b. low resolution screens (160 x 160 pixel) , > c. "mono" audio playback devices. Please point me to known groups of people who use genuine B&W monitors (1-bit color), 160-pixel-square screens (we're designing for disabled people, not their cellphones), and "'mono'" audio playback devices. What *are* you trying to do here? Do you even know? And what does it have to do with actual disabled people? > Presentation that emphasizes structure is simply none of WCAG WG's business. The designer can design as he or she pleases as long as valid, semantic code underpins the design. (The Working Group continues to pretend the concept of "semantic code" doesn't exist.) If someone wants or needs a different presentation, AS EVER the designer can provide alternate stylesheets, the user can deploy his or her own stylesheets, and/or the user can get a different browser or device. Don't be trying to dictate how people design their pages *in this way*. > * Example 3: an audio presentation. > > An audio rendering of a document, generated according to a style sheet, Aural CSS was a non-starter and has been deprecated. The rest of the proposal is littered with somebody's file:// URLs and is no better. > Editorial Note: Are there any others? Any other what? Cockamamie ideas? Yeah, lots, and they're swallowed wholesale as long as someone like Gregg puts them out. As ever, my advice is simple: Write better guidelines. At least pretend to think them through. -- Joe Clark | joeclark@joeclark.org Author, _Building Accessible Websites_ <http://joeclark.org/access/> | <http://joeclark.org/book/>
Received on Tuesday, 2 March 2004 15:25:28 UTC