Re: Are links should underline all the time?

Although it depends on language of the content. Underlining is often used
to indicate links. But when the language / script in question also uses
underlining as emphasis you can create confusion. Underlining by itself is
insufficient. It could be a link or an em element.

Andrew

On Tuesday, 4 July 2017, Sailesh Panchang <sailesh.panchang@deque.com>
wrote:

> HTML's default presentation  has a purpose, accessibility being one of
> them. These help user groups other than with vision impairment.
> Links are underlined, contents of a TH cell in a table is bold and
> centred, a border around a set of form controls within a fieldset
> conveys a  grouping relationship, the relative significance of
> headings  with h1 ... h6 is discernible, the element that has keyboard
> focus is identifiable, and so forth.
> Browsers respect these  too.
> Content authors should be free to replace the presentation styles in a
> manner that retains or enhances their effectiveness from an
> accessibility standpoint.
> Permitting them to tinker with the default presentation in a manner
> that impairs accessibility should be a violation.
> I am strongly in  favor of an SC along the lines of  the old Section
> 508 paragraph 1194.21 Para (b) Softtware Apps:
>
> • Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of
> other products that are identified as accessibility features, where
> those features are
> developed and documented according to industry standards.
> • Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of
> any operating system that are identified as accessibility features
> where the application
> programming interface for those accessibility features has been
> documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is
> available to the product
> developer.
>
> On the mobile platform for instance, I sometimes see that one is
> unable to use the handwriting feature to input text into a form within
> an application ... the developer has unknowningly done something that
> has broken the handwriting feature. (example of breaking a feature
> within the OS).
> (I had referenced the S508 paragraph in a CSUN presentation:
> http://www.mindoversight.com/csun/2016/slide8-0.html)
>
> Thanks and best wishes,
> On 7/3/17, Herin Hentry <herinhentry@gmail.com <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > Hi Corey and Kiran,
> >
> > WCAG also mentions another failure. F73: Failure of Success Criterion
> 1.4.1
> > due to creating links that are not visually evident without color vision.
> >
> > https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html
> >
> > There is also a note as Note: If the visual cue is only provided on
> hover,
> > it would still fail.
> >
> > Underline or Bold is the preferred visual clue.
> >
> > 2 techniques related to this are:
> >
> >    - G182: Ensuring that additional visual cues are available when text
> >    color differences are used to convey information
> >    <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G182.html>
> >    - G183: Using a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding text and
> >    providing additional visual cues on focus for links or controls where
> > color
> >    alone is used to identify them
> >    <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html>
> >
> > Thanks to Patrick for the example link. It's a clear failure case.
> >
> > Thanks and Regards,
> > Herin
> >
> > On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 8:43 AM, Corey Collins <ccollins@usc.edu.au
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Kiran
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> My understanding, and I am happy to be corrected, is if you have
> >> sufficient contrast between your link colour and your background colour
> >> (Success Criterion 1.4.3 and 1.4.6), plus sufficient contrast between
> >> your
> >> body text and link text colour (3:1), you can provide a link with no
> >> underline as long as there is an additional differentiation (underline)
> >> when the link receives hover/focus.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Further detail: G183: Using a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding
> text
> >> and providing additional visual cues on focus for links or controls
> where
> >> color alone is used to identify them
> >> <https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html>
> >>
> >> Examples
> >>
> >> *Example 1: Colors that would provide 3:1 contrast with black words and
> >> 4.5:1 contrast with a white background*
> >>
> >> Refer to *Links with a 3:1 contrast ratio with surrounding text
> >> <https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/Techniques/working-
> examples/G183/link-contrast.html>*
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> If in doubt, the preferred technique is to use underlines for links.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I’m not a fan of links with no underline in content but I have had an
> >> example at work, which I believe I could not fail and as a result, could
> >> not change the business owner’s decision. I’ll persist for a change
> >> anyway
> >> ☺
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope that helps.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> *Corey Collins*
> >> Web Accessibility Specialist
> >>
> >> Student Services and Engagement
> >> USC
> >>
> >> Ph +61 7 5456 5383 <+61%207%205456%205383>
> >> ccollins@usc.edu.au <javascript:;>
> >> usc.edu.au <http://www.usc.edu.au/>
> >>
> >> University of the Sunshine Coast CRICOS Provider No. 01595D
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> *From: *Kiran <kiranph@gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> >> *Date: *Saturday, 1 July 2017 at 4:46 am
> >> *To: *w3c WAI List <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <javascript:;>>
> >> *Subject: *Are links should underline all the time?
> >> *Resent-From: *<w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <javascript:;>>
> >> *Resent-Date: *Saturday, 1 July 2017 at 4:47 am
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hey All,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I need expert advice in learning and more clarifying the concept of WCAG
> >> 1.4.1 Link treatment.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> As per https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html , if links do not
> have
> >> underline or other visual cues will it be a failure?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> so If I have added a link in the paragraph where body text is black
> while
> >> the link within this paragraph is blue ( enough CCR), will that be a
> >> failure to WCAG 1.4.1 if I don't provide underline to this link?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> So does that mean, links should always be underlined in a paragraph or
> in
> >> a sentence?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I was under the assumption that if links have a different color, plus it
> >> shows underline(or any visual clue) on hover/focus, should be okay and
> >> passes WCAG 1.4.1.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F73.html
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I appreciate your opinion in clearing my confusion on this.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thank you.
> >>
> >> USC, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558 Australia.
> >> CRICOS Provider No: 01595D
> >> Please consider the environment before printing this email.
> >> This email is confidential. If received in error, please delete it from
> >> your system.
> >>
> >
>
>
> --
> Sailesh Panchang
> Principal Accessibility Consultant
> Deque Systems Inc
> Phone 703-225-0380 ext 105
> Mobile: 571-344-1765
>
>

-- 
Andrew Cunningham
andj.cunningham@gmail.com