RE: Skip navigation in WCAG-2

The easiest markup to include is H1,H2,H3,H4,H5, H6 to instead
of the P element to indicate the major topics in web
resources.  H1-H6 elements can easily be restyled with CSS. 
Screen readers and even main stream broswers like Opera
support navigation to headers.  Using this not only gives
people access to the first main topic, but a way to navigate
quickly to all the main and sub topics on a web resource.

Jon


---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 09:19:07 -0700
>From: "Juan Ulloa" <julloa@bcc.ctc.edu>  
>Subject: RE: Skip navigation in WCAG-2  
>To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>
>
>I guess it is more of a usability issue rather than
accessibility.  So
>in that regard I agree with you.
>
>In practice though, I think skip-to-content, as I prefer to
call it, is
>a good practice for any website not just for text readers but
also for
>folks who still like to use text only browsers.    I don't
necessarily
>see user agents being able to figure that out for users
unless there is
>some type of markup in the code telling them apart. Because
of this, I
>think the responsibility of adding skip-to-content links will
continue
>to be up to the person who creates the site.  
>
>Whether this is accessibility or a usability thing is what I have
>concerns with.   But I'd prefer not to start another
'usability vs.
>accessibility' thread.   :) [smiley face]
>
>
>Juan C. Ulloa   [ x2487 ]
>
>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org
[mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org]
>>  Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 4:34 AM
>>  To: Jesper Tverskov; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
>>  Subject: Re: Skip navigation in WCAG-2
>>  
>>  
>>  I think we can do away with skip nav altogether.  We need
something
>along
>>  the lines of provide navigation to main areas of content
and to those
>>  areas
>>  of content that aide in navigation etc.
>>  
>>  Johnnie Apple Seed
>>  
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: "Jesper Tverskov" <jesper.tverskov@mail.tele.dk>
>>  To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>>  Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 5:46 AM
>>  Subject: Skip navigation in WCAG-2
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  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
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>
>


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

Received on Thursday, 9 September 2004 19:45:11 UTC