Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Extensions to Internet Explorer that support people with disabilities and functional testing for accessibility

Clarification to what this extension to Internet Explorer does.

It does not make web content more accessible, it only makes web browsers more accessible by providing features that extend IE to allow all users to view and navigate the accessible markup.  These IE extensions are only going to be most useful if authors follow WCAG recommendations sot that:

1. Link text does make sense out context.  For examples a list of "click here" is useless, but this tool helps authors see there links out of context, so they can tell if the link text does provide meaningful information about a link.

2. MAP elements can be used with standard text links (not just the more popular use with AREA elements and images) to indicate collections of related links.  This tool will allow people to navigate to those collections of links and to view information about those collections.  Again without the author including these MAP elements to indicate collections of links, the feature is useless.

3. Headers is again something authors need to include for the list of headers functions to have any use.  

In summary this extensino is not to remove authors responsibility to create accesible markup, but to reward authors who do create accessible markup by providing them with browser functions that allow them to actually benefit and test their accessibility features.

Jon




---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 11:06:01 -0500 (EST)
>From: Access Systems <accessys@smart.net>  
>Subject: Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Extensions to Internet Explorer that support   people with disabilities and functional testing for accessibility  
>To: Jon Gunderson <jongund@uiuc.edu>
>Cc: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org, w3c-wai-ig@w3.org, EASI@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU, webaim-forum@list.webaim.org, uaccess-l@trace.wisc.edu, strite@uiuc.edu, dcarring@uiuc.edu, ghogan@uiuc.edu, piepenbr@uiuc.edu, dwash@uiuc.edu
>
>On Tue, 9 Mar 2004, Jon Gunderson wrote:
>
>this is all well and good, and I applaude your efforts, but how does this
>make the internet accessible, nor does it fully meet the standards set in
>508 unless this software and the required supporting software must be
>provided at no cost to the user for it to meet the standards.  and people
>who write websites expecting this software to make them compliant would be
>decieved since it only supports certain proprietary software and operating
>systems that must be purchased at sometimes great cost.
>
>Bob
>
>
>> 
>> I am pleased to announce the availability of a beta version of a set of 
>> extensions to Internet Explorer that provide the following functions:
>> 
>> 1. List of links (Alt-F12)
>> 2. List of headers (Alt-F11)
>> 3. List of MAP elements and associated links (Alt-F10)
>> 4. List of Accesskeys (Alt-F9)
>> 
>> More information and download from:
>> http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/software/ieaccessible/index.html
>> 
>> Future features include:
>> 1. List of FRAMES
>> 2. List of FORM Controls (use label as the form control title)
>> 3. Toggle images (one step through keyboard)
>> 4. Render conditional content (ABBR, ACRONYM , ALT)
>> 5. Apply alternative author style sheets (through one step dialog box)
>> 6. Apply alternative user style sheets (through one step dialog box)
>> 7. Activate pointer events through the keyboard
>> 
>> Jon
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
>> Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
>> Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
>> MC-574
>> College of Applied Life Studies
>> University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
>> 1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL  61820
>> 
>> Voice: (217) 244-5870
>> Fax: (217) 333-0248
>> 
>> E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu
>> 
>> WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/
>> WWW: http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
>> 
>> 
>
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Received on Tuesday, 9 March 2004 12:39:01 UTC