Re: [Mailman-Developers] The Philosophy of Web Use.
Ethan wrote:
Can you do me a favor and let me know how these examples work for you?
Works great for able bodied mouse users.
But how are people with mobility impairments like low dexterity (unable to use a pointing device like a mouse and instead must use keyboard or switch) able to use it? It doesn't seem to work via keyboard.
WCAG Guideline 9. Design for device-independence:
"Use features that enable activation of page elements via a variety of input devices. Device-independent access means that the user may interact with the user agent or document with a preferred input (or output) device -- mouse, keyboard, voice, head wand, or other. If, for example, a form control can only be activated with a mouse or other pointing device, someone who is using the page without sight, with voice input, or with a keyboard or who is using some other non-pointing input device will not be able to use the form." [1]
Best Regards, Laura
[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/#gl-device-independence
Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
Ethan wrote:
Can you do me a favor and let me know how these examples work for you?
Laura wrote:
Works great for able bodied mouse users.
But how are people with mobility impairments like low dexterity (unable to use a pointing device like a mouse and instead must use keyboard or switch) able to use it? It doesn't seem to work via keyboard.
Hi Ethan,
You might want to check out James Edwards' (aka brothercake) latest version of Docking boxes (dbx). It is a more keyboard accessible than the tool-man example. James is making progress in this area.
To quote from the site [1]:
"Docking boxes (dbx) adds animated drag 'n' drop, snap-to-grid, and show/hide-contents functionality to any group of elements. And ... in what might be another world-first for brothercake - dbx is fully accessible to the keyboard as well as the mouse..."
He says in the accessibility notes [2]:
<quote> Docking boxes can provide equal functionality to both mouse and keyboard users, so the accessibility limitations usually associated with drag 'n' drop controls don't apply. However the dynamic interface is not supported in browser-based screenreaders, such as JAWS or Home Page Reader.
Many javascript events occur in browser-based readers exactly as they would for vanilla installs of the host browser (usually Internet Explorer). But having content which is switchable to non-displayed could be a major cause of confusion, in the absence of a reliable way to notify a non-graphical UA of the change explicitly. To try to avoid these problems, the script uses event-disparity evaluations or repositiong routines at all; for these users the layout should remain static, and accessible as though there were no dynamic behaviors, just as it is for legacy or text-only browsers. This then means that CSS properties used to hide the inner content area
- things like display:none which would normally be a total no-go - should not be a problem here, since readers should never activate nor cause to be activated the mechanisms which apply those rules.
So, in these and other environments where the script is not supported, you'll get a default HTML and CSS layout with no dynamic behaviors. This isn't necessarily an issue for things like navigation or news boxes, where the scripting is supplementary to the core functionality. But its use as an application interface should be restricted to situations where browser and scripting support is predictable, or where equivalent server-side functionality is also provided. </quote>
That last sentence is key. Restrict use of this technique to situations where:
- Browser and scripting support is known (it's not for most Mailman admins) or
- Provide equivalent server-side functionality
Best Regards, Laura
[1] http://www.brothercake.com/site/resources/scripts/dbx/ [2] http://www.brothercake.com/site/resources/scripts/dbx/setup4/
Laura L. Carlson Information Technology Systems and Services University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009 http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
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Laura Carlson