- From: Steven Dale <sdale@stevendale.com>
- Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:34:28 -0400 (EDT)
- To: <Kurt_Mattes@bankone.com>
- Cc: <poehlman1@comcast.net>, <Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz>, <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Text should not be used in images without an accessible alternative to those with low vision. When you enlarge bitmapped text, it becomes unreadable. > > >> an image should not have words in it in the first place for reasons >> that are well documented in the archives of this list. > > Could you point me to a specific guideline that covers this statement? > Perhaps those who manage this site - http://www.w3.org/ should be > informed of your thoughts. I see several images with words in them. > >> If you have full sentences in images, you need to use another >> form to display them which has not been satisfactorily worked out yet. > > And in the interim we should...? There are millions of ads on the web > that use images. Are you suggesting all of these should be eliminated? > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: david poehlman [mailto:poehlman1@comcast.net] > Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 9:41 AM > To: Mattes, Kurt (Bank One); Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz; > w3c-wai-ig@w3.org > Subject: Re: alt text & punctuation - best practice? > > > an image should not have words in it in the first place for reasons that > are well documented in the archives of this list. This has much to do > wht machine processable data and with people using low vision at to > interact with the web. If you have full sentences in images, you need > to use another form to display them which has not been satisfactorily > worked out yet. There is also another reason for not putting words in > images hence in alt text where they should go which is that there is a > max length to an alt attrig and the textual content of the image can > well acceed that max. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <Kurt_Mattes@bankone.com> > To: <poehlman1@comcast.net>; <Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz>; > <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> > Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 8:49 AM > Subject: RE: alt text & punctuation - best practice? > > > >> <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential"> >> *dp* this is not a full sentence and an alt tag should never be a full >> sentance. > > Why? If the image an alt refers to contains a complete sentence, > shouldn't the alt tag? > > > Kurt Mattes > Application Development Analyst > Technical Lead - Web Accessibility > [302] 282-1414 * Kurt_Mattes@BankOne.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org]On > Behalf Of david poehlman > Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 8:42 AM > To: Rebecca Cox; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org > Subject: Re: alt text & punctuation - best practice? > > > > see comments inline marked with *dp*. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rebecca Cox" <Rebecca.Cox@intergen.co.nz> > To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> > Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 10:38 PM > Subject: alt text & punctuation - best practice? > > > Hi all, > > I am working with some guidelines on alt text and just wanted to see > what people feel is current best practice with regard to adding > punctuation to force a pause - for example, in these situations what > would be the preferred technique? > > 1. For short alt text on an image which may or may not be a link: > > Either, just the text, no extra punctuation: > > <a href="news.html"><img src="news.gif" alt="News"></a> > *dp* extend the link to include a bit of text such as news before the > closing marker. For alt texsts period which should be short at any > rate, no punctuation should be required at all. Remember, some people > are going to be transcribing this stuff into braille or printing it out > on a printer in text form and also, the kiss factor, people will wonder > as they look at this stuff, what is this punctuation mark here for? > Most if not all user agent/at combinations can let us know that we are > looking at a "graphic" "bmp" whatever they designate it as. > > Or with full stop and space, like so: > > <a href="news.html"><img src="news.gif" alt="News. "></a> > > *dp* I would go on to say that an image in an href which has a fully > marked up container such as the above should be null alted because the > text belongs in the link, not in the alt and the link text should stand > for the alt in that there should be nothing in the image that conveys > anything that cannot be put into the link text. > > 2. For longer alt text which should read like a sentence: > > Either: > > <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential"> *dp* > this is not a full sentence and an alt tag should never be a full > sentance. > > Or: > *dp* no punctuation is required see above. > > <img src="w3.gif" alt="W3C leading the web to its full potential. "> > > > 3. For alt text on an image which functions as a section heading: > > Either: > > <h2><img src="about.gif" alt="About the council"></h2> > > Or: > > <h2><img src="about.gif" alt="About the council. "></h2> > > *dp* Again, there are ways to find headings in current at and in some > way back so punctuation is not necessary. Mark a heading up in the same > way you would mark the beginning of a section in a text book since it > may be brailled or printed. We've lived quite well with headings and > alt tags being non differentiated in this way and this is the least of > the auditory inaccessibility we have to contend with. Authors have > enough to contend with as it is and if you want to raise the hackles of > the balancers, start adopting things like this and you will. This is > not to say that hackles should not be raised appropriately though. > > g'day! > Cheers all, > > > Rebecca Cox > Production Designer > > INTERGEN - Intelligent Business > Level 3, Intergen House, 44-52 The Terrace > PO Box 5428, Wellington, New Zealand > > > > > ********************************************************************** > This transmission may contain information that is privileged, > confidential and/or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you > are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information contained > herein (including any reliance thereon) is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you > received this transmission in error, please immediately contact the > sender and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic > or hard copy format. Thank you > **********************************************************************
Received on Monday, 21 June 2004 16:35:01 UTC