Edit comment LC-634 for Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

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Comment LC-634: Comment Shortname:; Commenter: Lisa Seeman 1 <lisa@ubaccess.com> on behalf of Invited expert at W3C, UB access; Message-id:; Section of the document concerned:

or; Refinement of the section concerned:; Status:
assigned to; Type:; Resolution status:
Response drafted Resolution implemented Reply sent to commenter; Response status:
No response from Commenter yet Commenter approved disposition Commenter objected to disposition
Commenter's response (URI):; Comment:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-comments-wcag20/2006May/0137.html
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-comments-wcag20/2006May/att-0137/wcagform_ch_1html.html

Comment (including rationale for any proposed change):

With new technology such as roles within the WAI, you can assign the role of the object in a programmatically understandable way. So if assistive technology knows the role of a picture is as a bullet, or to say that a star means it is required, or that spacer.gif is for spacing - why do you have to also fill in the alt tag?

Proposed Change:

Add to the list of options: The role and behavior of non-text content can be programmatically determined; Related issues: LC-938
(space separated ids); WG Notes: [TEAMC] The technique doesn't require the use of the alt tag- it requires the use of a text alternative. I think that the first bullet covers Lisa's request in that the programmatically assigned role can serve as the text alternative. I have created a technique for the required role for comment LC-938. In theory instead of marking an <img> with a role of "listitem" I think the better method would be to use the appropriate semantic markup for lists. However, I think Lisa is thinking further ahead to when a browser can make use of the roles to provide the semantic information. I can create a technique with two examples of roles as text-alternatives. One example will demonstrate an <img> with a role of listitem an another will using role=presentation to mark a spacer or purely decorative img. Discussed in the 14 September 2006 telecon: accepted by unanimous consent http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/2006/09/14-wai-wcag-minutes.html NOTE to chairs - when compiling answer be sure this is understandable in the flow of the full response to her.; Resolution: While defining roles is an important new enabler of accessibility, it should not be used as a replacement for the predefined semantics in HTML. Images should always have alternative text, and semantic elements used whenever possible. Roles should be used to supplement semantics when those semantics are inadequately provided by the host language.; (Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)