Re: The visual Web vs. seamless accessibility (was Re: RIT - Javascript)

At 02:17 PM 04/05/98 -0700, William Loughborough wrote:
>RD:: "I maintain it's better to have too much information than not
>enough..."
>
>WL:: The discussion usually involves those who take that position and
>those who get sick of hearing a TITLE="thin blue line separating section
>A from section B" sort of droning away with no easy way to turn it off
>and Bobby demanding it!

LQ:: I wouldn't do anything merely to satisfy Bobby, but TITLE="End of
Section A", TITLE="Start of Section B" or TITLE="New Section" would be more
appropriate and less verbose for an HR element.  For an IMG element, the
TITLE should be context-free; TITLE="Thin blue line" would probably be
best.  The ALT attribute on IMG would provide a suitable replacement in the
spirit of HR's TITLE attribute.

I think TITLEs on HR elements are rather silly though.  The level of the
next heading should indicate whether one has reached a new section or not.
When writing new pages, I find myself not using HR.  Sometimes I use a
style sheet with a 'border-top' instead of an HR, but usually I find that
the document is more attractive visually without any dividing lines.  It's
structurally sound either way.

WL::
>One suggestion that there be a "for decorative purposes only" label for
>certain IMG thingies

LQ:: I use ALT="" as a "for decorative purposes only" label.

>If the only way to get ALT= in places where it is required for
>accessibility is to put it *everywhere* that it's possible, then perhaps
>we'll have to live with excess verbosity.

LQ:: Then I think we'd be sacrificing the high level of usability provided
by seamless accessibility.

-- 
Liam Quinn
Web Design Group            Enhanced Designs, Web Site Development
http://www.htmlhelp.com/    http://enhanced-designs.com/

Received on Monday, 4 May 1998 18:40:15 UTC