RE: HTML5 alternatives to table summary don't work in current browsers, and Screen Readers

Hi Richard

 

A small correction to your take on what I said in my post. I actually did
not make a recommendation to return to table Summary. I am simply
documenting that as we enter into recommendation status, the advice we are
providing to web authors fails WCAGs conformance requirement of
accessibility support. And the example techniques listed currently don't
help blind folks... even though web authors trust us to give them useful
advice.

 

There are certainly well documented disadvantages (and advantages) to the
Summary attribute but until AT catches up on replacements, and they have had
several years to do so, we are looking at another of those awful gaps that
work on paper but not in the real world for blind folks.

 

Cheers

David MacDonald

 

CanAdapt Solutions Inc.

  Adapting the web to all users

            Including those with disabilities

 <http://www.can-adapt.com/> www.Can-Adapt.com

 

From: Richard Schwerdtfeger [mailto:schwer@us.ibm.com] 
Sent: June-21-13 10:48 AM
To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org; public-html-a11y@w3.org
Cc: Steve Faulkner; mick@nvaccess.org
Subject: Re: HTML5 alternatives to table summary don't work in current
browsers, and Screen Readers

 

David,

I saw your post that you think summary should be reinstated because of a
JAWS and/or NVDA have a defect (it works in VoiceOver) does not warrant
going back to the hodge podge of attributes that were thrown in at the end
of HTML 4's release. 

Let's stick with a consistent set of APIs (ARIA) that developers can go to
as much as possible for one stop shopping. 

I have alerted Freedom Scientific of the defect and they will fix it. I have
copied Mick Curran at NVDA and hopefully they will also correct the problem
with IE and Firefox. 

Mick, please see the following link:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2013AprJun/0089.html#start89

We can't be writing specs. based on proprietary assistive technology
defects.

Rich

 

Rich Schwerdtfeger