- From: <Becky_Gibson@notesdev.ibm.com>
- Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 14:54:26 -0400
- To: Tina Holmboe <tina@greytower.net>
- Cc: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org, w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org
<from my previous post> > support new technologies. I am just against requiring it at level 1 > in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines since validation against > a specification does not always improve accessibility and may inhibit > innovation in the short term. <tina asks> Could you please elaborate on that last point there? I'm afraid I am confused as to how ensuring the correct syntax can inhibit innovation? </tina> I've brought up the DHTML roadmap as an example. It creates widgets using JavaScript that can be negotiated with the keyboard arrow keys just like a client application. The DHTML roadmap technology is based on XHTML and Lisa has pointed out that there is a way to extend the specifications for XHTML. That is good and something that is being pursued. But, I can also make this technology work in HTML. It relies on using tabindex on <div> and <span> tags to set focus programmatically to those elements. In HTML 4.01 the tabindex attribute is not valid on <div> and <span>. I consider these widgets "innovative" because they can be used to improve accessibility but, with a validation requirement at WCAG level 1 I could not claim conformance. I can also think of other web applications that use the tabindex attribute and JavaScript to set focus to certain HTML parts of the page. For example, an application that hides or shows a certain part of the page based on a user selection. Yes, I know that is a controversial behavior within this group but I can make such an application accessible and usable. I can live with validation at level 1 as long as I am given an "out" if I violate the specification for accessibility or usability reasons. But, I am concerned that the exception may provide a hole that can be used for the wrong reasons as well thus making it moot. Becky Gibson Web Accessibility Architect IBM Emerging Internet Technologies 5 Technology Park Drive Westford, MA 01886 Voice: 978 399-6101; t/l 333-6101 Email: gibsonb@us.ibm.com
Received on Wednesday, 22 June 2005 18:54:33 UTC