Accessibility

[Chris]

I want to check my css layout renders OK for people using screen readers and
text only browsers. Can anyone recommend the best way to do this? Any
general pointers to resources on accessibility would be great also.

 

[Alan J. Flavell]

I want to check my css layout renders OK for people using screen
readers and text only browsers. Can anyone recommend the best way to
do this?

The *best* way is to get some screen readers, speaking browsers etc.
but they cost real money (in some cases, hair-curlingly so).

If you want a low-cost assessment, you could download the Windows
version of Opera and enable its voice features (causes an additional
download). Support is only offered at the moment for US-English
language under Windows.

Then you'd have:

1. Opera's View> Style> Emulate text browser

2. Opera's speaking features ("v" keycommand to speak the selection;
ctl/A then v will select the whole page then speak it).

I'd rate it as pretty useful, but not to be taken as the whole story.

Opera has some other useful emulation modes.

If you're in a position to install a version of lynx and/or elinks
then it can help, but don't assume that all speaking browsers behave
in the same way as might be deduced from Lynx.

There used to be a free 30day trial of IBM HPR, but the terms have
changed now. Might be worth taking a look anyway.

Any general pointers to resources on accessibility would be great
also.

That's a moving target. The first edition of the WAI guidelines
contain some good material, but several pieces of advice on what to do
"until user agents" get better, are best crossed out as they can cause
more trouble than they avoid.

http://www.w3.org/WAI/ , of course.

The second version has been extensively overhauled and restructured,
but it's early days to rate it properly.

Above all, if you are genuinely interested in accessibility then you
need to spend time on the *subjective* aspects. There are by-rote
checkers that will report on the *objective* guidelines, but you need
to understand how to respond to those reports, or else the fixes can
make things worse rather than better. And I don't only mean choosing
absurd "alt" texts for images.

good luck

 

[dorayme]

The *best* way is to get some screen readers, speaking browsers etc.
but they cost real money (in some cases, hair-curlingly so).

If you want a low-cost assessment, you could download the Windows
version of Opera and enable its voice features (causes an additional
download). Support is only offered at the moment for US-English
language under Windows.

Anyone use a low cost solution to this question for Mac?

 

[Leonard Blaisdell]

Anyone use a low cost solution to this question for Mac?

After reading Mr. Flavell's post and wondering the same thing, I
remembered that Macs have speech capabilities installed.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1722.html>
is probably not what you're looking for. I haven't tried it since I
don't run 10.4. It certainly isn't geared toward HTML but text in
general. I don't think there'd be any inflection if it worked at all.
But then I don't know. Go for it!

leo

 

[dorayme]

After reading Mr. Flavell's post and wondering the same thing, I
remembered that Macs have speech capabilities installed.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1722.html>
is probably not what you're looking for. I haven't tried it since I
don't run 10.4. It certainly isn't geared toward HTML but text in
general. I don't think there'd be any inflection if it worked at all.
But then I don't know. Go for it!

leo

Yes, I know about this but would bet quids it simply would not
work on a web page well. I think I tried it once?

Hey Leo, and Sally, discovered a little something tucked away in
the Mac X sys this morning...

Select a word, press command option D and a little pop-down
dictionary field comes up, you need to enable this in the
keyboard sys prefs. You can even scroll it and command for the
full dic to come up.

(... unfortunately.... er... it does not work in MT. But, think
positive, it sure does in Mail and Safari...)

 

[Chaddy2222]

I want to check my css layout renders OK for people using screen readers and
text only browsers. Can anyone recommend the best way to do this? Any
general pointers to resources on accessibility would be great also.

Well, a URL might help.
I myself use Jaws For Windows V 5.0 but a lot of other vision impaired
people use differing software, the online checkers can help, but real
users is about the only decent check.
Bare in mind, that ScreenReeders only read the HTML (I am not sure
about the voice / Aurel) parts of CSS. I would say that later V's V 7
of Jaws for example might read the voice propities of CSS, though I am
not sure how useful they would be to a person useing a ScreenReader.

 

[Sally Thompson]

Hey Leo, and Sally, discovered a little something tucked away in
the Mac X sys this morning...

Select a word, press command option D and a little pop-down
dictionary field comes up, you need to enable this in the
keyboard sys prefs. You can even scroll it and command for the
full dic to come up.

(... unfortunately.... er... it does not work in MT. But, think
positive, it sure does in Mail and Safari...)

Doesn't work in much else though :-(

 

[dorayme]

Doesn't work in much else though :-(

er yes, it only works in some prgms (control command D I should
have said, option command D toggles the silly dock on and off.
God, I am even getting used to this dicky dock thing... I think
the Mac X system was originally made with Roger Rabbit in mind as
the user model. There must be a whole lot of Roger in all of us...

 

[Travis Newbury]

I want to check my css layout renders OK for people using screen readers and
text only browsers. Can anyone recommend the best way to do this?

Yes, make your page nothing but text. You wouldn't want to lose the 2
or 3 blind people that might visit your site...

 

[dorayme]

Yes, make your page nothing but text. You wouldn't want to lose the 2
or 3 blind people that might visit your site...

Geez Travis...

 

[Steve Pugh]

Geez Travis...

Sometimes I wish Travis would be like this in all his posts. Then I
could just killfile him as a total pillock and ignore him. But
sometimes he makes halfway decent posts that keep him just outside of
the killfile.

Steve

 

[dorayme]

Sometimes I wish Travis would be like this in all his posts. Then I
could just killfile him as a total pillock and ignore him. But
sometimes he makes halfway decent posts that keep him just outside of
the killfile.

Steve

It is a delicate balance. Have you taken into account that he
voted for the mother (so to speak) of all pillocks, George Bush?

 

[Luigi Donatello Asero]

It is a delicate balance. Have you taken into account that he
voted for the mother (so to speak) of all pillocks, George Bush?

Did he say/write that he voted for George Bush?

 

[dorayme]

Did he say/write that he voted for George Bush?

YES! YES, HE DID!

 

[Travis Newbury]

Geez Travis...

Yea, I know, that was un-called for...

 

[Travis Newbury]

YES! YES, HE DID!

Voted for? Hell I campaigned for him!

 

[Luigi Donatello Asero]

Voted for? Hell I campaigned for him!

Were you paid to campaign or just did it because you felt like doing that?
Are you satisfied with what he has done during the first and so far during
the latter mandate?
Why yes or why not?


Luigi Donatello Asero
https://www.scaiecat-spa-gigi.com
Write in peace for peace

 

[dorayme]

Were you paid to campaign or just did it because you felt like doing that?
Are you satisfied with what he has done during the first and so far during
the latter mandate?
Why yes or why not?

Yeah Travis! Explain that!

Eliza

 

[Travis Newbury]

Were you paid to campaign or just did it because you felt like doing that?

Because I felt like it. I am very conservitive.

Are you satisfied with what he has done during the first and so far during
the latter mandate?

No I am not satisfied with what he has done. I think he should be a
bit harder. I think we should be like the terrorist and not follow any
rules when it comes to war. I think if making someone stand in their
underwear for 48 hours get them to talk, then so be it, make them
stand. I think most other governements secretly support our war on
terror, but are willing to let the US take care of the problem.

I think the economy is doing fine dispite the oil issues. I think we
should lock down our borders. I think we should punish companies that
hire illegal aliens. I think our tax system is completely unfair to
the middle class and upper class. I don't think I should have to give
away 33% of my anual salary to support lazy people. I think we need to
improve our inner city schools. I think we should get away from
Affirmitive action.

Did that answer your question?

 

[Luigi Donatello Asero]

that?

Because I felt like it. I am very conservitive.

Did you mean "conservative"?

No I am not satisfied with what he has done. I think he should be a
bit harder. I think we should be like the terrorist and not follow any
rules when it comes to war. I think if making someone stand in their
underwear for 48 hours get them to talk, then so be it, make them
stand. I think most other governements secretly support our war on
terror, but are willing to let the US take care of the problem.

Well, it seems as there are people who are not satisfied with Bush because
he would have not been hard enough in their opinions and other people who
might be unsatisfied because he did not do much to avoid wars.......during
the time of his presidencies....
Are there still people who support him? Does the majority of Americans
support him or not?

I think the economy is doing fine dispite the oil issues. I think we
should lock down our borders.

I think we should punish companies that

hire illegal aliens.

Aliens?
One way native Americans
might be considered as the only ones who are not "aliens" in the USA.....
How many Apaches live in America nowadays?

I think our tax system is completely unfair to

the middle class and upper class. I don't think I should have to give
away 33% of my anual salary to support lazy people. I think we need to
improve our inner city schools. I think we should get away from
Affirmitive action.

Did that answer your question?

To some extent. It says that you are not satisfied with him, anyway.
If there had been elections today would you have voted for him or for whom
else?