Re: DataTables Javascript module and accessibility

Hi Allan

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:45:45 +0400, Allan Jardine  
<allan.jardine@sprymedia.co.uk> wrote:

> I'm the author of an Javascript based HTML table "enhancing" plug-in for  
> jQuery called DataTables ( http://datatables.net  ). I'm interested in  
> increasing the accessibility of the module, and it's various controls  
> using WAI-ARIA.

Cool :)

> Although I am a Javascript developer and know some of the basics of  
> accessibility, I'm not certain what should be implemented in order to  
> make the accessibility features actually useful. I'm sure I could just  
> stick some WAI-ARIA attributes into DataTables and call it done, but I  
> would be worried about hindering more than helping, which isn't what I  
> want to achieve!

Good instincts ;)

> Is there a list of consultants / freelancers maintained who know ARIA  
> well and might be open to discussing this with me to provide some  
> guidance?

Not that I know of... although you can always ask direct questions here -  
a few people who know accessibility still hang out here.

> More generally, are there any recommendations for how a Javascript  
> module might be tested for accessibility once suitable attributes are  
> added?

The most obvious approach is to test the results of using it against WCAG  
(Web Content Accesibility Guidelines) - there are plenty of people who can  
do that for you, and again in some cases you might find people will give  
stuff a quick but reasonably informed once-over here on the list.

There is also an Evaluation and Repair Tools group within WAI, who used to  
work on stuff like this. You can check it out and see if they are still  
active (I withdrew for lack of time a good while ago) and interested. You  
might also want to ping the HTML5 group and point people to this  
discussion - there are a number of people there with serious amounts of  
expertise (and a couple of differeing opinions on some points...)

cheers

Chaals

-- 
Charles McCathieNevile  Opera Software, Standards Group
     je parle français -- hablo español -- jeg lærer norsk
http://my.opera.com/chaals       Try Opera: http://www.opera.com

Received on Monday, 18 April 2011 19:01:10 UTC