- From: Roger Hudson <rhudson@usability.com.au>
- Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 20:52:41 +1000
- To: "'Phil Spencer'" <spencer_phil@hotmail.com>, "'ax interest list'" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
- Message-ID: <00c201cd2e9b$07048e00$150daa00$@com.au>
Hi Phil, If I might make a couple of comments regarding your question. But, first I would like to make it clear that I support the use of the title attribute in appropriate circumstances. First, H65 doesn't suggests the title attribute can be used for whatever reason. Rather, it states it can be used "when the visual design cannot accommodate the label" and provides two examples, which in my opinion are the most likely cases where this could apply; search inputs and inputs for the different components of phone numbers. Also, H65 suggests the title attribute should be used with the form control, which does not appear to be the case with your example. Second, I would be cautious about considering a technique to be acceptable based on testing with just a few browsers and assistive devices. In this regard, I would suggest following the WCAG 2 Sufficient Techniques which I understand have been rigorously before being accepted. At this stage, the technique you propose does not appear to be considered a Sufficient Technique within WCAG 2. I would be interested to know how this technique works with older versions of JAWS as well as a range of other screen reader-browser combinations before considering it accessible. Regards, Roger From: Phil Spencer [mailto:spencer_phil@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, 10 May 2012 7:26 PM To: ax interest list Subject: H65: Using the title attribute to identify form controls when the label element cannot be used Hi All, I have a question that I'm hoping someone may be able to help with regarding technique H65: Using the title attribute to identify form controls when the label element cannot be used. This technique is about using a title attribute to describe a form element where a label element can't be used for whatever reason, and relates to several success criteria as listed in the link below: http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20120103/H65 I'm evaluating a web page where this technique has been used in a slightly different way. The descriptive title attribute has been applied to a span element that wraps the form element, rather than directly to the element itself, simplified code snippet follows: <span title="description of form element"><input type="radio" /></span> My question is, is this sufficient to meet the various success criteria? I kind of assumed that it wouldn't be, but when I tested with IE9 and JAWS12 it seemed to work just the same as if the title attribute was directly on the form element. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is the JAWS / IE behaviour likely to be repeated with other browser / AT combinations? Many thanks in advance, Phil Spencer.
Received on Thursday, 10 May 2012 10:54:10 UTC