Re: Screen readers and full stops + seperating links!

I still use netscape once ina while and I don't know of an assistive
technology that is all inclusive that I can use that would not require
this.  I cannot tell what is a link and what is not and I cannot tell
where one link starts and another begins on some pages.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phill Jenkins" <pjenkins@us.ibm.com>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2001 1:48 PM
Subject: RE: Screen readers and full stops + seperating links!


> ...why are we meant to make sure there is
a non-linked character between adjacent links?

I don't think it is necessary any more. All the browsers I know, even on
the old platforms like DOS, seem to handle consecutive links by tabbing
to
each link.  5 years or 10 years ago that was argued to not be the case.
That's why it is priority 3 and in Guideline 10 "Use Interim Solutions":

The priority 3 checkpoint 10.5 says:

10.5 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render
adjacent
links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by
spaces) between adjacent links. [Priority 3]

Guideline 10

Use interim accessibility solutions so that assistive technologies and
older browsers will operate correctly.


   For example, <clip> older screen readers read lists of consecutive
links
   as one link. These active elements are therefore difficult or
impossible
   to access. <clip>


   Note. The following checkpoints apply until user agents (including
   assistive technologies) address these issues. These checkpoints are
   classified as "interim", meaning that the Web Content Guidelines
Working
   Group considers them to be valid and necessary to Web accessibility
as
   of the publication of this document. [over two years ago May 1999]
   However, the Working Group does not expect these checkpoints to be
   necessary in the future, once Web technologies have incorporated
   anticipated features or capabilities.

read more at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/#gl-interim-accessibility

Regards,
Phill

Received on Friday, 5 October 2001 14:05:08 UTC