

RE: Tab panel example for SC 3.2.1

From: <Sofia.Celic@nils.org.au>
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 14:23:06 +1100
To: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Message-ID: <OFA980970F.32980CB5-ONCA2570EE.000C41B6-CA2570EE.00129837@domino.bigpond.com>

Thank you for the explanation Becky.

Not providing this example now does not mean that WCAG 2.0 will prevent any
new DHTML accessibility technologies in the future.

I am simply wary of providing examples of techniques that are not supported
by at least a majority of current assistive technologies and/or that cause
issues currently for one or more disability user groups. Current support is
a topic that gets raised constantly - even in today's teleconference.

Apart from lack of screen reader support (JAWS, Home Page Reader and Hal),
how is a sighted keyboard user to navigate to a link within the content of
a panel? With current technologies this would be with the tab key, but in
the provided example it would instead shift the focus out of the tab panel.
Currently, using an up/down arrow would scroll the page and not move
through links. I think this is too confusing for most people to include

The ability of implementing such a technique may change with time (as you
have indicated), and at that time I would support its inclusion in WCAG
techniques. For now I do not think it should be included - or it should be
made very clear that it is a possible future technology implementation

With regards,

Dr Sofia Celic
Senior Web Accessibility Consultant
Vision Australia - Accessible Information Solutions
454 Glenferrie Road
Kooyong, Victoria, 3144
Ph: +61 (0)3 9864 9284
Fax: +61 (0)3 9864 9370
E-mail: Sofia.Celic@visionaustralia.org.au

Vision Australia was formed through the merger of
Royal Blind Society, the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind,
Vision Australia Foundation and the National Information and Library
ABN: 67 108 391 831. ACN: 108 391 831

|         |           "Becky Gibson"      |
|         |           <Becky_Gibson@notesd|
|         |           ev.ibm.com>         |
|         |           Sent by:            |
|         |           w3c-wai-gl-request@w|
|         |           3.org               |
|         |                               |
|         |                               |
|         |           05/01/2006 11:13 PM |
|         |                               |
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  |       To:       w3c-wai-gl@w3.org                                                                                            |
  |       cc:                                                                                                                    |
  |       Subject:  RE: Tab panel example for SC 3.2.1                                                                           |


intent is to make certain that these new DHTML accessibility technologies

Becky Gibson
Web Accessibility Architect

IBM Emerging Internet Technologies
5 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886
Email: gibsonb@us.ibm.com
Received on Friday, 6 January 2006 03:23:32 GMT
