RE: Discussion list guidelines

David Wrote:

	> if you want to do something such as Only speaking the >
greather than at
	> the beginning of a paragraph, that can be easily done in the
dictionary of
	> most screen readers.

	LRK:: Can you also set the screen reader to alert you when a
paragraph begins that does not have a greater than sign?  If so, we
could have the following alternative to writing initials followed by
double colon:

	1. quote old text with greater than before each line
	2. Be sure you put a blank line before and after each new
comment you make. Note that this also helps sighted readers.

	(Actually, you don't have to put a greater than before each
line; it's sufficient to put it just at the start of the paragraph; but
that might confuse sighted readers.)

	If people with screen readers then set them to flag paragraphs
that do or do not start with greater than's, they will know which is old
and which is new.

	This still doesn't allow person with screen reader to skip to
comments.  However, if we can overcome this problem with the further
requirement to

	3. Only retain and quote what is needed to understand the
comment you are making, assuming the reader already read the original
mail.  Attach original mail with no further comments at end if you wish,
but identifying it as such..

	These guidelines help both sighted and blind discussants. The
one problem is that if you leave out a blank line, your comment is lost
to screen readers.  But it will be lost to some sighted readers as well
anyway because sighted folks scanning the page can easily miss it.

	Len

Received on Thursday, 4 December 1997 15:18:58 UTC