RE: More on not using Screen Magnification as an example

Ø  In the technology world of the web, data flexibility is a foundational principle.  It is just disappointing to see that WAI seems to think zoom is sufficient accessibility support for obtaining therapeutically useful text size. I don't want to be insulting, but it just feels lazy.
This is exemplified by the sufficient techniques for SC 1.4.4 which allow browser zoom to meet this success criteria.  I’ll also point that many in the group assume(d) that browser zoom really couldn’t be broken by the page author and thus this SC would just automatically pass.  This is indeed not the case and I am finding there are many ways to break browser zoom.  Thankfully many sites are going to responsive design which is often triggered by browser zoom and may result in larger text without horizontal scrolling.

Jonathan

From: Wayne Dick [mailto:waynedick@knowbility.org]
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 7:39 PM
To: Phill Jenkins
Cc: Jonathan Avila; WAI Interest Group
Subject: Re: More on not using Screen Magnification as an example

I am not disputing Phill or Jon. ZoomText has really been good on the uptake for accessibility features, and there is a vast difference between screen magnifier assistive technology and system zoom.  That being said, people buy ZoomText, Magic and Luna for the very high quality zoom. The other stuff makes life in zoom world tolerable.
In the technology world of the web, data flexibility is a foundational principle.  It is just disappointing to see that WAI seems to think zoom is sufficient accessibility support for obtaining therapeutically useful text size. I don't want to be insulting, but it just feels lazy.
Wayne

On Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 12:16 PM, Phill Jenkins <pjenkins@us.ibm.com<mailto:pjenkins@us.ibm.com>> wrote:
Jonathan makes several key critical points (e.g. focus tracking, label relationships) about the difference between screen magnification and screen magnifiers assistive technologies.

Magnification is only one simple component of an AT screen magnifier like ZoomText with Speech (1) and MAGic (2)

Perhaps there isn't a clear understanding between the difference in terms such as:
        browser zoom,
        platform zoom,
        hardware screen magnification,
        and advanced capabilities and features
of assistive technology (AT) screen magnifiers.

Remember too that the web developer / author is only responsible for half of the solution, the platform +  browser + AT + end user settings are the other half.
See http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/components.php


1. http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext/more/zoomtext_magnifier_reader/<http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext/more/zoomtext_magnifier_reader/>
2. http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/LowVision/MAGic

____________________________________________
Regards,
Phill Jenkins,
IBM Accessibility