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Edit comment LC-1442 for Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

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Comment LC-1442
:
Commenter: David MacDonald <Befree@magma.ca>

or
Resolution status:

Currently, 2.1.1 is not clear that HTML fallback techniques for Javascript dropdown menus are sufficient. Nor is our conformance section clear that deficiences on one web unit can be made up on another web unit. For example the LongDesc (1.1) provides an alternative on a separate web unit. But our conformance is "web unit" based. We need to allow for this.

This came up because many corporate web sites are meeting 508 compliance by having a JavaScript dropdown menu where the top item is a keyboard accessible link that goes to a separate page that has all of the links that were in the dropdown menu.

WebAim recommends this technique here.

http://www.webaim.org/techniques/javascript/eventhandlers.php (see example 2)

Real examples are here:
http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/default.shtm
http://www.futurescholar.com/Home.htm

When I read 2.1.1 and I thought about the (per Web Unit) conformance it seemed to me that our current wording didn’t allow it. Ben thought it might be able to go in Guideline 4 but if someone had JavaScript in their Baseline then I think 2.1.1 would apply… I talked with Michael and Bruce and they both thought we should clarify that this is a viable navigation strategy.

Gregg responded:
>>>One has to be completely accessible except that there can be a link from an inaccessible part to an accessible version of that part if it can be viewed independently – and then you return. (this is in fact what we do with Longdesc). I would run this answer past group A though just to be sure before I used it (unless you are just using it in an issue summary going to a team anyway.

Recommend:

How about something like in 2.1.1

Situation: For pages that have script or programmatic pop down navigation menus when that technology is not in the baseline

1. Providing an HTML link to a place (on the same page or a separate page) with the navigation menu in HTML

If script in baseline - then you CAN use “Create HTML fallbacks for Javascript menus� OR you can just have js script menu with full keyboard access

If script not in baseline – you CAN “Create HTML fallbacks for Javascript menus�. Full keyboard access to menu does NOT satisfy SC.

Also: Add phrase to the conformance section that allows for make up alternatives on a separate Web Unit directly accessed from a web unit.

(longdesc and HTML fallbacks for JavaScript menus).
(space separated ids)
(Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)


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