- From: Jamal Mazrui <jamal@empowermentzone.com>
- Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 23:09:56 -0500
- To: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
- CC: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
The following is my input on the "last call" working draft of the W3C's user agent accessibility guidelines: * In the guideline that mentions "relative position" as a status message, also include "absolute size." An example of its use is being able to determine the size of the current web page in a browser in order to decide whether to read it now or download it for later reading. The size should be stated in commonly understood units of measure, sometimes in more than one way to ensure it is readily understood. For example, the playing time of an audio file could be stated in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds. The size of a primarily text based web page might be stated in both kilobytes and screens, where a screen of information is calculated based on the current viewport (often a window where the PageDown or Spacebar key invokes the next screen). * When applicable (such as with a computer based browser), provide a mechanism for downloading a batch of links to the current page. It is common for a user to want several linked pages downloaded, yet most browsers today require that each link be visited and separately downloaded. An example would be a dialog that includes a listbox of file extensions representing files linked to the current web page. The user could select one, multiple, or all of the extensions to be downloaded in an automated process. The file names would be the same or closest equivalents on the user's computer in a directory/folder that could be chosen in another control of the dialog. An enhanced option would place all downloaded files in a compressed archive using an industry standard format (such as the public domain .zip one). * Support the resumption of partial downloads so that a time consuming but incomplete download is continued rather than restarted. * When the system focus is on text (either plain or enriched), support navigation by character, word, line, paragraph, and screen. Precise and flexible navigation of this kind with a system cursor is often useful when browsing with accessibility aids. Evidence of this point is that the leading Windows screen readers have super-imposed such navigation on a popular web browser that does not natively support it (e.g., Winvision, Window-Eyes, and JAWS with Internet Explorer). * In the guideline that mentions searching, also include ways of indicating the beginning and direction of the search (forward or backward starting from the current focus, beginning, or end of the document). * In the guideline about status messages, also include an indication when a web page is finished loading, an audio file is finished playing, a video file is finished displaying, etc. The mode of the "finished" status message should include text, audio, and/or visual means of presentation. * In a guideline about keyboard input, also state that each button on toolbars should have an equivalent keyboard shortcut. Mouse clicking such buttons is often the primary way that users without disabilities perform common commands. Given the benefit of keyboard shortcuts for various disabilities and accessibility aids, the user agent should be designed with complete equivalence between buttonbar and keyboard operation. * In the guideline about documentation in HTML, also specify that a manual should be available as a single, complete HTML file when a system of multiple, linked files is provided as well. * In a guideline about viewports, also include a configuration setting by which the application automatically maximizes the current view port. For example, the parent window of the browser would automatically be maximized when launched, and each child window would automatically be maximized when it received input focus. Maximizing does not necessarily mean occupying the whole screen or parent window; it means expanding the current window so that the need to scroll horizontally or vertically is as * little as possible. I hope the above comments are useful. Although I reviewed the material more than once, I may have missed or misunderstood points that are already addressed. In such cases, perhaps my comments can reinforce a need for emphasis or clarification. Thank you for the open, inclusive, and systematic process that has been evident in the development of these guidelines. Regards, Jamal
Received on Wednesday, 1 December 1999 23:10:10 UTC