Re: improved select boxes - still accessible

Hi, I understand your point.

It's not a matter of the select action actually, but rather, the 
programmatic functionality.

The problem that I've been seeing a lot lately, is a widespread assumption 
that the use of ARIA will make something accessible.

This is not actually true; ARIA will enhance accessibility for a control 
that is already accessible, but it can't make something that is not 
accessible, accessible.

For example, in the case of the select controls,

However, literal keyboard focus is not being set on the various list options 
when the keyboard is used to navigate between each select item. You can see 
this by disabling CSS in your browser, then try to set focus on the link 
that activates the drop down, activate it, then try using the arrow keys to 
see where focus is set.

You will see that focus is not actually being moved between the various 
options, making this control impossible to function from the keyboard, and 
impossible to make a selection in the same manner as when you use the mouse 
to click a select item like "West Virginia". If you refrain from using the 
mouse, it won't work.

I've seen this before, where CSS is used to make something appear to be 
happening, but in actuality, nothing is. This causes many problems, because 
nothing that occurs in CSS for simulating the movement of focus is 
accessible from the keyboard, and the use of ARIA in cases such as these, 
only changes the feedback of an inaccessible control for screen reader 
users, but doesn't make it any more accessible.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marc Haunschild" <mh@zadi.de>
To: "Bryan Garaventa" <bryan.garaventa@whatsock.com>
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 2:28 AM
Subject: Re: improved select boxes - still accessible


> Hi Bryan,
>
> thanks for your answer - as far as I understood, hitting return (or 
> clicking an item) does not do anything, because using this example does 
> not trigger any action. It just shows how to select items, but nothing is 
> sent. ;-)
>
> Marc
>
>
>
> Am 16.08.2012 08:27, schrieb Bryan Garaventa:
>> If this is helpful, I've updated the ARIA Listbox Generator, documented 
>> at
>> http://lnkd.in/CKfG9x
>>
>> The ARIA Listbox Generator automates the process of rendering keyboard 
>> and screen reader accessible listbox controls, which are instantiated as 
>> independent Listbox objects.
>>
>> These Listbox objects support current selection tracking, callbacks, 
>> dynamic addition and deletion of new option elements, dynamic getting and 
>> setting, keyboard accessible sortability, and multiselect.
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marc Haunschild" <mh@zadi.de>
>> To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 10:46 PM
>> Subject: improved select boxes - still accessible
>>
>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> I found two really interesting javaScript upgrades for select boxes. I 
>>> want to use them, but I wonder if they are accessible in jaws and other 
>>> screenreader software.
>>>
>>> Also I would like to get some general feedback. Is it confusing to 
>>> interact with these modified boxes? Or do you think the improvements are 
>>> helpful?
>>>
>>> I am grateful for any response!
>>>
>>> Thanks for your help!
>>>
>>> Marc
>>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
>
> i. A. Marc Haunschild
> Zugängliche Anwendungsentwicklung und Qualitätskontrolle
> ______________________________________________
>
> Referat 614 - Konzeption und Aufbau von Informationsdiensten
> Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung
> Anschrift: Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn
> Telefon: +49 (0)228 99 6845-7324
> Fax: +49 (0)228 99 6845-7111
> E-Mail: marc.haunschild@zadi.de
> Internet: www.ble.de
> _______________________________________________
>

Received on Friday, 17 August 2012 18:04:12 UTC