http://www.killersites.com/forums/ Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:49:21 +0000 PunBB http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/924/understanding-the-effects-of-cognitive-disorders-3-parts/new/posts/ Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:49:21 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/924/understanding-the-effects-of-cognitive-disorders-3-parts/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/584/survey-of-preferences-of-screen-readers-users/new/posts/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:02:13 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/584/survey-of-preferences-of-screen-readers-users/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/383/disability-does-not-mean-permanent/new/posts/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:39:53 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/383/disability-does-not-mean-permanent/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/382/notice-concerning-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-ada-amendments/new/posts/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:54:34 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/382/notice-concerning-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-ada-amendments/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/216/colorblind-tools-list/new/posts/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:55:06 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/216/colorblind-tools-list/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/221/graybit-accessibility-testing-tool-that-displays-a-fullcolor-web/new/posts/ Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:08:52 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/221/graybit-accessibility-testing-tool-that-displays-a-fullcolor-web/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/306/accessibility-in-an-internal-environment/new/posts/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:18:34 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/306/accessibility-in-an-internal-environment/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/38/google-shows-interest-in-accessibility-so-should-you/new/posts/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:45:20 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/38/google-shows-interest-in-accessibility-so-should-you/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/39/cognitive-disorders-or-just-the-new-reality/new/posts/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:44:42 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/39/cognitive-disorders-or-just-the-new-reality/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/40/understanding-and-the-cognitive-disorder/new/posts/ Today's Lunch Menu The following information is based on the preferences we have seen based on 3 years of lunch statistics showing the most often ordered food on this day historically. This information was collected by Joe Blow, please contact Mike if you have any questions. Salad Meal Dessert Caesar T-bone Steak Pineapple Upside down Cake [/code] OK now, the above is a proper accessible table that uses best practices and should be usable for the normal disabled users. But is it clear for someone with a cognitive disorder? Maybe, maybe not, we have no way to know until they complain... if they complain. So maybe plain text would be better for some people and is not all that hard as long as it changes daily. Imagine a simple text paragraph with a feed from the database, the same data as in the table (Indicated by {}). [quote][b]Today's Lunch Menu[/b] Today we will be serving {Caesar} Salad, {T-bone Steak} and {Pineapple Upside down Cake} as dessert. This information is based on the preferences we have seen based on 3 years of lunch statistics showing the most often ordered food on this day historically. The information was collected by Joe Blow. Please contact Mike if you have any questions.[/quote] So as you see, this simple paragraph style is not as clear at a quick glance, but could be more understandable than a table to some forms of Cognitive Disorders. If both paragraph and table draw from a database, the entries are automatically updated and need not be manually changed. Both versions can be offered on the same page with a heading that allows choice, a screen reader user may find the second preferable to the table as well and choose to skip the table and listen to the paragraph. So unlike normal accessibility tricks, I cannot say that this is a better way for any number of people. What I would like you to consider is simply that accessibility is about offering choices to allow alternative methods for those with special needs are simply other preferences, to access information in another manner. So when it works, data type info in a data table as well as plain text. Offer an RTF document & a PDF version, offer multiple style sheets, offer two forms of navigation, offer alternative text to images. Just always try to ask yourself if this is not the best format for the user to read information, what can you do to offer an alternative form, give the user a choice to what best suites them. WebAIM has a good article on the subject of Cognitive disorders: [url=http://www.webaim.org/articles/cognitive/]Cognitive Disabilities[/url].]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:43:01 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/40/understanding-and-the-cognitive-disorder/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/41/from-the-mouth-of-the-users-may-2008/new/posts/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:42:00 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/41/from-the-mouth-of-the-users-may-2008/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/42/screen-reader-at-issues/new/posts/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:40:48 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/42/screen-reader-at-issues/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/43/browsers-what-to-test-in/new/posts/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:40:15 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/43/browsers-what-to-test-in/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/45/funhouse-mirrors-and-the-address-tag/new/posts/ tag and like all beginners did not look into it as it is clear isn't it? You use it to create addresses. Well this is the web and the W3C and not everything is what it seems. Here are two authorities on the subject: [quote]The ADDRESS element may be used by authors to supply contact information for a document or a major part of a document such as a form. This element often appears at the beginning or end of a document. - W3C[/quote] [quote]The

tag defines contact information for a document or a section. [b]Note:[/b] The

tag should NOT be used as describing a postal address, unless it is a part of the contact information. - W3Schools.com[/quote] For me this is fairly clear, but not what I thought as a beginner. The address tag is not for addresses, it is for contact information about the author. If I post this in an ezine for instance, the author information about me with my email and or URL would be the address. I am the contact person and not the newsletter that posts this. KillerSites is not the contact when I post it on their forum. If you have questions, you contact me. So if you use it for a street or postal address you are clearly wrong. Or are you? In a comment section at a [url=http://www.simplebits.com/notebook/2004/08/04/sq.html]SimpleBits' SimpleQuiz from 2004[/url] , some very good comments are to be found (126 in all, but good reading). It became and issue of how best to markup physical addresses and rather than people saying A, B, C or D, may began tweaking the offered solutions. Comments here are long closed, I was dismayed that it took almost half the comments before someone pointed out the semantics of Address as many were stating simply "A is correct because that is what the tag is there for." Well no, no it isn't, read the specs. It is the contact information on the author. So name, email, URL and such. Some posters blatantly ignore this but towards the bottom more and more reference it and some begin to point out other ways of seeing it than what [i]I know to be the meaning[/i] of Address. Now the easy to understand has become vague indeed. Let us look again, this time with my highlights: [quote]The ADDRESS element [i]may[/i] be used by authors [i]to supply contact information for a document or a major part of a document[/i]< such as a form. This element often appears at the beginning or end of a document. - W3C[/quote] Are you seeing what I missed and others saw? Once again by generously using their favorite word, "may," the W3C's use of it opens the definition to be used and abused in many ways aside from it?s intended use. Also look at it from a corporate point of view. We looked earlier at me as the author. Now let's say it is a page on a corporate web site. Who is the "contact information for a document or a major part of a document?" It depends, but it would be either a division or department or the corporation as a whole. So if I have a question or issue with the content who is my contact person? Likely the Public Affairs people for the corporation. How would I contact them? URL and email of course as before, but I may wish to send a letter. Now suddenly a postal address or street address I can visit to speak to someone in person is now fitting snuggly in the definition, especially with that "may" thrown in. A local part of a nationwide chain would not be the owner so the corporate headquarters would be the owner. Personally, I find that stretching it as this tag is really meant to be directly on each page. So I do not agree with the full address use of the tag, To use it on one page to represent ownership and responsibility for an entire site is not in the spec. The spec clearly states it is "for a document or a major part of a document," meaning singular, as under this theory you need to place the physical address of the company on every page. But I must admit that I can not hotly dispute it because in theory, even stretched theory they are partly right at least and you can liken a web site to a document, like a brochure of many pages. Another repeated argument is that telephone numbers should not be included, they are not part of the address (usually meaning physical address), but they are however "contact information for a document or a major part of a document" and by that definition better candidates for the address tag than a complete physical or postal address. So the

tag turns out to be not so simple after all. Like a Mirror you identify way off, when you take a closer look it is a funhouse mirror and depending on what angle you look at the specs for address. It means different things to different people and warps to be seen however you wish to use it like a funhouse mirror warping your reflection depending on the angle you see it. With W3C specs, things are not always what they seem.]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:39:25 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/45/funhouse-mirrors-and-the-address-tag/new/posts/ http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/35/breadcrumbs/new/posts/ Classes > 1982 > 7b[/b] This would be Home page lead to Classes lead to the year and in the case of a German school that usually has more than one class, class 7b. If what I want is to here I see I can back track to 1982 and chose a different class, or backtrack to 1983 and check class 7b. So the Bread crumb is a trail that allows you to backtrack logically to higher instances, so if your navigation has different sub levels under different menu items, it can be a useful tool to offer the user. [size=3]Problems:[/size] It is really not tested or standard yet. Many visual surfers do not notice it or know what to do with it. Visually impaired people seem to be in two groups, Those who do not understand what it is and those who do and can use it, but some who know what it is find it hard to deal with still. So the final call on whether it is useful in accessibility or a hindrance is not out yet, seems close to equal right now. Also the choice of separators should be considered. Most often seen is > which acts as a visual arrow in the direction. But this symbol has a semantic meaning, "Greater than". So a screenreader would usually read "Home greater than classes greater than 1982 greater than 7b". Some argue that even that makes some sense as each level is less important that the previous. Other opinions are a colon (:) is better and suggests a menu while still others choose to use the | key which visually compares to the line separators often used. But fact is > when considered wrong by some is so widespread that many visually impaired are used to it even though it may not be the best choice, it has become a form of default set by visual people but now do to it's widespread use accepted by the visually impaired. At this time their is no right or wrong answer, just opinions. I myself have not totally decided yet as to which I will use as standard, but currently tend towards "|".]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:33:45 +0000 http://www.killersites.com/forums/topic/35/breadcrumbs/new/posts/