- From: Jesper Tverskov <jesper.tverskov@mail.tele.dk>
- Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 11:46:01 +0200
- To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
The meaning of "Skip navigation" is almost completely changed in the proposal for WCAG-2. Basically a "until user agents" has just been dropped but in this case it changes the meaning of the guideline. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ In WCAG-1: "13.6 Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group. [Priority 3]" In WCAG-1 it is clear that "skip navigation" is regarded as a user agent issue. Authors should not bother about it, or just a little, the day user agents can do the job. This is a good approach. Already today a browser like Mozilla has a "Find as you type" feature. It can be set up to work for links only using the first letter of link text as access key making it extremely easy to move around for keyboard users even making HTML Accesskey irrelevant. Most screen readers have or should have ways to go to next word, next sentence, next paragraph, next heading, next list, end of list of links, etc. It is much better for users of screen readers to become experts in using these generic methods for moving around that can be used at most websites than to rely on "skip navigation" implemented by millions of web page authors never using it themselves. "Skip navigation" should not be an author issue but should remain a user agent issue. Making it an author issue is a text book example of how not to make the web more accessible. Accessibility should as much as possible be handled by user agents and as little as possible depend of the acts of millions of web page authors. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ In WCAG-2, Guideline 2.4, Level 2 Success criteria: "Large blocks of material that are repeated on multiple pages, such as navigation menus with more than 8 or more links, can be bypassed by people who use screen readers or who navigate via keyboard or keyboard interface. [V]" and in HTML Techniques for WCAG 2.0, 9.6 Skipping link groups, says: "Include a link that allows users to skip over grouped links." "If there are five or more navigation links and/or other content that comes before the main content of the page then the skip navigation technique should probably be used. If there are twenty links and other elements before the main content, one of these techniques definitely should be used. The link should be at or very near the top of the page; it is a link with a local target just before the beginning of the main content." _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Note the difference: Guidelines, WCAG-2, talk about 8 links, Techniques, WCAG-2, talk about 5 and 20 links. *** User agents are no longer mentioned, it has become an author issue only. By dropping "until user agents", in this case, WCAG-2 comes in line with Section 508 also regarding "skip navigation" as an author issue. This makes the proposal for WCAG-2 just as plain wrong as Section 508 has always been. WCAG-1 was right about "skip navigation" being mainly a user agent issue. Best regards, Jesper Tverskov www.smackthemouse.com
Received on Thursday, 9 September 2004 09:46:02 UTC