- From: Mike Burks <mburks952@worldnet.att.net>
- Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 15:35:36 -0400
- To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>, "Kynn Bartlett" <kynn@idyllmtn.com>
Amen, in general things are getting too complex. We need to look at the 80/20 rule and figure out what simple things can be done to make web pages as accessible as possible with the least amount of effort! Sincerely, Mike Burks -----Original Message----- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn@idyllmtn.com> To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> Date: Tuesday, September 01, 1998 3:19 PM Subject: Accessibility and Stylesheets >I'm increasingly concerned with the high technical level of >stylesheet proficiency that we seem to be requiring for >people to create accessible web pages. > >The problem is that the way the guidelines are written (and >this is improved on current rewrites -- but not necessarily >enough to solve the problem!), you need to have detailed >knowledge of HTML and some CSS experience in order to make >an accessible web page. > >Sad to say, this cuts out over half of the people currently >designing web pages! Stylesheets alone are a confusing new >concept to anyone who hasn't tried them -- and that may be >enough for them to decide, "accessibility is too hard -- I >can't do stylesheets, I don't know what an <OBJECT> is or >even what the difference between a 'tag' and an 'element' is >-- so I won't even bother to try to make accessible pages!" > >I'm currently teaching an accessibility course for the HTML >Writers Guild's online classes, and that was one of the >comments from a student. In addition, the Guild's AGI >project found that 38% of the respondents thought there was >too much HTML 4.0 technical knowledge necessary to understand >the guidelines (April 14 version), and 54% -- over half -- >were turned off by the emphasis on stylesheets! > >Now, as someone who knows HTML 4.0 pretty well himself, and is >decent with stylesheets, I can understand entirely why those >need to be part of guidelines, and why they're good and useful >features to use when designing web pages. But I'm also an >expert at this, and do this for a living -- and not everyone >falls into that category. > >However, those people still need to make accessible pages! >Web accessibility is not only for the advanced authors, it >something _everyone_ should know! > >But, of course, there's the problem -- how to communicate _only_ >what the beginner needs to know, without making them think >that's all they'll _ever_ have to understand about accessibility. > >Has anyone dealt with this problem before? Do you have a nicely >written, "stable", newbie-friendly document that touches on the >basics of accessible web design, without overwhelming the casual >author with LONGDESC and CSS2 and other unfamiliar concepts? > >If so, can I have a URL? :) If not, am I volunteering myself >for more work? > >-- >Kynn Bartlett <kynn@idyllmtn.com> http://www.idyllmtn.com/~kynn/ >Chief Technologist & Co-Owner, Idyll Mountain Internet; Fullerton, California >For your user-defined stylesheet: .GeoBranding { display: none ! important; } >
Received on Tuesday, 1 September 1998 15:32:46 UTC