- From: Gregory J. Rosmaita <unagi69@concentric.net>
- Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 14:18:21 -0400
- To: Jon Gunderson <jongund@uiuc.edu>
- Cc: User Agent Guidelines Emailing List <w3c-wai-ua@w3.org>
aloha, jon! in a recent post, you wrote: quote b. Distractions for people with cognitive disabilities (freezing does not resolve, this is the reason to turn off images) unquote why force this group of users to turn off images? why not a "suppress flicker" or "control roll-over rate" setting? the information contained in the roll over graphic or flickering image may be important and may be what the person is looking for, only they need to step through the roll over or video because they can process it more efficiently in increments then they can when it is funning full speed or when presented with a textual equivalent... why does user controlled freezing not resolve this issue? for some, the combination of images and pictures may be overwhelming, but for others it is the movement that is distracting, not the graphic itself... my main question is: why this urge for either or resolutions? turning things off in the cases we've been discussing isn't an accessibility solution -- it is a preventative measure... it doesn't provide the user with what he or she may need to process the information in their individual modality, only protects them from physical harm and mental strain, but does _not_ increase the accessibility of the content... why? simply because turning a graphical presentation off, may cause as gaping a perceptual black hole for one user that the lack of a textual equivalent causes for another... yes, there are requirements in WCAG and elsewhere that a textual equivalent be presented when support for multimedia objects is disabled, but is text always the best solution? a quick review of the CD debate that has been raging on the GL list for the past few months would suggest it is not the sine qua non of accessibility... gregory. ------------------------------------------------ Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank piece of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead. -- Gene Fowler ------------------------------------------------ Gregory J. Rosmaita <unagi69@concentric.net> WebMonster and Minister of Propaganda, VICUG NYC <http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/> ------------------------------------------------
Received on Tuesday, 13 June 2000 14:29:49 UTC