Teleconference Information
Date: 2005-11-07
Time: 1:30 PM
Agenda
Hello Everyone, I would like to emphasize the importance of the next few teleconferences. As you know Robert and his team have proposed several accessibility improvement to their development groups based on the feedback we all provided to him and his team in the past months. Now it is the time to understand and clarify the proposed improvement suggestions, discuss their priorities, and eventually add new improvement suggestions or modify the existing ones. Please make sure that you join us. I have appended Robert's accessibility improvement suggestions to this e-mail. Please make sure that you read it prior to the teleconference. Here is the info about the conference on Monday: Date: Monday November 7 2005 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CST (Chicago Local Time) Phone: 217 265-6999 Suggested topics: 1. Discuss and clarify Robert's proposed accessibility improvements 2. Multi language content (English/Arabic) Thank you. Hadi Hi Everyone, Here is the list of proposed improvements that were discussed at conference. I thought it would be helpful to list them inline with the associated issue in our issues list. Issue 2: Color used to indicate the results of browser compatibility test The compatibility result test results indicate potential problems in red. This is inaccessible to many color-blind and visually impaired users. Problems need to be expressed also clearly identified using text, like the word Problem next to the failed tests. Proposed solution Error messages appear at the top of the form in which the error(s) has occurred. They are located and styled consistently. Error message contains summary which includes indication of how many errors have occurred. A bulleted list of errors appears immediately below the error summary message. There is one list item for each error. Each item in the list of errors is a hyperlink. Selecting the link takes the user directly to the field where the error occurred. Issue 4/Issue 7: User styling options Information on how users and administrators can setup accessible user templates: larger fonts, high contrast color schemes and changes in font. Proposed solution · Ability to choose font style for section from a defined list of options. · Ability to choose relative font size for section from a defined list of options. Note: current proposal allows for this option to be set by both course designers and individual users. Issue 9: Consistent use of headers Proposed solution · Continued implementation of header elements. Issue 10: Redundant image and text links Redundant image and text links, put image and link text in same anchor and set image ALT="". Screen readers reads each link twice. Proposed solution The alt tag is set to alt=”” when both links and icons are used together. Issue 13: OnChange event in select boxes OnChange event on some SELECT boxes. The onChange event should be removed and a separate button (i.e. "Go") for selecting the option should be added. Proposed solution Manual controls will replace actions initiated from radio-buttons. For scripts, device-independent handlers are used. Redundant handlers are used where necessary. For example, "onkeypress" in conjunction with "onclick." Issue 14: Informative titling of frames Improve labeling of FRAMESETs. Proposed solution · Frame titles will facilitate frame identification and navigation. · The purpose of each frame and how frames relate to each other are described where it is not obvious by frame titles alone. Issue 15: Use list markup for lists of items When lists of related items are rendered it is important to use list markup (OL, UL and DL). Proposed solution Use ul as a container for menus and other lists of related links. The title attribute is used to provide a descriptive label for the collection of links. Use li as a container for individual links in the menu. Issue 17: Link/Form control information about opening new windows Links or form controls that open new windows should be indicate to the user before they select the link that it will open a new window, either as part of the link text or as a title attribute description, that the link will open a new window. An example is the Create a message window in the mail view. Proposed solution Avoid spawning new browser windows. Any control which initiates the opening of a new browser window shall contain a title attribute stating, “This link opens a new browser window”. In addition to items from issues list: · A link to an accessibility statement which can be accessed from with the application (will be access key accessible). This statement will point out any accessibility specific info a user may need to use the product as effectively as possible. (i.e., list of access keys). · Access keys. · Alt tag fields provided for images used in question creation forms. · Improved focus locations. · Improvement of assessments for usability/accessibility. ........................................................................................................ //:Robert Dumas / Development Manager - Interface Design / WebCT US
Minutes
Present: Hadi Bargi Rangin, Chair Jon Gunderson, Scribe Kimerly J Wilcox Philip M. Kragnes Adrian Wehmeyer Lisa Fiedor Robert Dumas Saroj Primlani Marsha Allen Regrets: Jodi Roberts HR: Ask RD to go through his suggestions RD: Map the proposals with the functional issues RD: Issue #2: Color RD: Errors in red RD: This applies in more than just the checker RD: Consistently place error messages at the top page, easier for everyone. RD: Contain a summary of the errors RD: The errors will be links to the problem HR: I don't have any thing to add JG: How about orientation to the errors RD: It will be styling the errors for people with visualizations RD: Will be using title attrobute on the list to orient screen readers to the list RD: The issue text will be distinct AW: A example RD: A description not filled out and please fill in and resubmit PK: The link will take you to the form control RD: Issue #4 and #7: User styling options RD: We already have some functionallity for function, we don't have the ability to change font size and style RD: We are added these to the next version, we will have a course designer default and a user override of the designer HR: Can you walk us through the change RD: There is a customization are for the course and there will be a new area for users to configure their features. This will include configuration KW: It will be global for the tool AW: The customized area, they have a lot of changes KW: There will be more radio buttons for fonts? RD: There will be a finite set of options RD: There will be some type of relative fonts RD: If you go to www.section508.gov is the model RD: Issue #9 RD: Headers being used consistently RD: On going PK: Do you see conflict between WebCT and uploaded content headings. RD: This is the content page, or uploading a file RD: We don't touch the uploaded page in the frameset RD: We don't put anything else in that page RD: There wouldn't ne two header one unless the content person put them in there JG: Tabbed pages? DR: I have a question DR: The live tab is an header level 1 and other options header level 2 JG: I would like is to be a navigation list with the selected tab being a header level 1 PK: Lets say we have tab A, B, C and D. If I hear "bullet" tab C would tell me it is active tab RD: Redundent text and Icon links RD: Screen readers read the link twice RD: If this is used now the ALT="" RD: This is an easy fix RD: Issue #13 RD: OnChange event problems with SELECT boxes RD: We have gone through and put in a manual go to button KW: In the "teach tab" without go to button RD: Users claimed why doesn't is it go to the selection RD: In that particular instance, you could use the navigation bar on the left side if it was turned on, and accessibility people said that was fine RD: Hadi you found one and I also found one in the syllabus tool HR: I found some inconsistency in a combo box RD: Where? HR: Some where in the page, there is a go button and then is disappears on other pages PK: A comment RD: Please let us know where it is RD: Issue Frames RD: We have too many frames and the titles are poorly worded RD: Titles will be more descriptive KW: Will you be reducing the number of frames? RD: They are using the frames for creating dynamic content and trying to figure out how to fix this problem RD: Hopfully some day we will getting KW: What version RD: Next years release, no name now PK: Hopefully they will not use in-line frame HR: When you are using JAWS, you can set it up to ignore in-line frames HR: You need to work with a sighted user to know what you are using. RD: We use inline frames in a couple of spots HR: Information disappears in in-line frames, when JAWS is configured to ignore RD: Issue #15 RD: We are going to use list markup and use the title attribute to give a title to the navigation bar RD: Issue #17 RD: Avoid using opening open up new windows and we will work to elimintate them over time SP: Problem when the quizes are in an accessible format HR: We are going through the sessions SP: Form controls are not labeled RD: that one is coming up RD: Accessibility statement on the product and information RD: ALT text fields for the question fields RD: We are going to fix the focus issue RD: We will put in content areas to keep people in the right area RD: We are completly recoding the assessment pages, and use CSS for layout, eliminate tables. The student version has timer and progress bar, there are problems with screen readers and we are working on this to make it compatible with screen readers. We are planning to use DIVs instead of tables. We are working with developers on fixing this problem HR: Great SJ: Is this for the new version? RD: This for the next release. HR: Do you think quesiton has been answered? SP: Not completely, is the LABEL going to be used? When radio buttons and checkboxes don't have labels. The self test has a problem finding out if a response is right or wrong for a screen reader user. RD: you now get the self test question response should now be inline, it was a mess with a screen reader. The new design is for accessibility, I want this thing to be flawless with a screen reader. KW: Have you been looking a question type other than multiple choice? RD: We created rpototype with one every question prototype. I wonder if I could get the prototype to you. HR: I was going to ask that, developers could hear from us. RD: They re looking at schedules. there are basically two frames a question and then quiz status. RD: What happens is that when you answer a question, you are moved to the other frame and people then need to manually move back to the other frame to get to the next question. I want to get rid of these two frames. HR: We can use icons to inidicate which answer DR: We will put inline whether someone has answered a question DR: Let's get rid of the frame, put the information in a DIV PK: Wouldn't it make sense to have a bulleted list with links to the unanswered questions. RD: Answered questions are taken out to the TAB sequence PK: If you use a list, the L key on JAWS will take you to the LIST. KW: There are also some less sophisticated SP: We want to make sue it is NOT JAWS specific HR: It had a save and continue and save and submit function RD: There are a number of save options. KW: We tell people to save often SP: Is there a LABEL element in the new deisgn to explicitly associated groups of controls like with FIELDSET RD: Currently we should be doing this SP: I don't see it in the current version RD: I will check on it Priority HR: Do all of these have the same priority? RD: Right now everything is in play, but I might be asked to give some up. The next few weeks are important. HR: What about making sure everything is keyboard accessible? RD: Let's keeep track of all these issues and maybe some of these things can be fixed in service packs. RD: I have a budget of time,a dn i try to get what I can in HR: Technology like the discussion list is not accessible with the keyboard. Should we highlight. RD: I think we should highlight that and discussions will be changed in the next version. RD: If is things that are mostly HTML I can kind of sneak them in sometimes, other problems which require new coding it takes longer. I want to know about everything. HR: It is in the issues list RD: I need your expertise in using assistive technologies, I often rely on W3C techniques. HR: Functional testing is very important, like keyboard only operation RD: We are going to make it part of the routine testing KW: We need people using a screen reader with low vision. DR: We are hoping Phil and hadi to help us out here PK: I already know some of your team, Scott HR: The next meeting, tenatively next monday on functional testing HR: We are updating the issues list with SP issues. SJ: Chat whiteboard RD: No plans now to improve accessibility SJ: Here they are connected pedologically alot and then faculty are frustrating to find ways to facilitate communication RD: We reimplemented this in swing, but it still sounds like a problem RD: I don't make the decisions, management makes thoughs decisions. Here is the info about the conference on Monday: Date: Monday November 7 2005 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CST (Chicago Local Time) Phone: 217 265-6999 Suggested topics: 1. Discuss and clarify Robert's proposed accessibility improvements 2. Multi language content (English/Arabic) Thank you. Hadi Hi Everyone, Here is the list of proposed improvements that were discussed at conference. I thought it would be helpful to list them inline with the associated issue in our issues list. Issue 2: Color used to indicate the results of browser compatibility test The compatibility result test results indicate potential problems in red. This is inaccessible to many color-blind and visually impaired users. Problems need to be expressed also clearly identified using text, like the word Problem next to the failed tests. Proposed solution Error messages appear at the top of the form in which the error(s) has occurred. They are located and styled consistently. Error message contains summary which includes indication of how many errors have occurred. A bulleted list of errors appears immediately below the error summary message. There is one list item for each error. Each item in the list of errors is a hyperlink. Selecting the link takes the user directly to the field where the error occurred. Issue 4/Issue 7: User styling options Information on how users and administrators can setup accessible user templates: larger fonts, high contrast color schemes and changes in font. Proposed solution · Ability to choose font style for section from a defined list of options. · Ability to choose relative font size for section from a defined list of options. Note: current proposal allows for this option to be set by both course designers and individual users. Issue 9: Consistent use of headers Proposed solution · Continued implementation of header elements. Issue 10: Redundant image and text links Redundant image and text links, put image and link text in same anchor and set image ALT="". Screen readers reads each link twice. Proposed solution The alt tag is set to alt=”” when both links and icons are used together. Issue 13: OnChange event in select boxes OnChange event on some SELECT boxes. The onChange event should be removed and a separate button (i.e. "Go") for selecting the option should be added. Proposed solution Manual controls will replace actions initiated from radio-buttons. For scripts, device-independent handlers are used. Redundant handlers are used where necessary. For example, "onkeypress" in conjunction with "onclick." Issue 14: Informative titling of frames Improve labeling of FRAMESETs. Proposed solution · Frame titles will facilitate frame identification and navigation. · The purpose of each frame and how frames relate to each other are described where it is not obvious by frame titles alone. Issue 15: Use list markup for lists of items When lists of related items are rendered it is important to use list markup (OL, UL and DL). Proposed solution Use ul as a container for menus and other lists of related links. The title attribute is used to provide a descriptive label for the collection of links. Use li as a container for individual links in the menu. Issue 17: Link/Form control information about opening new windows Links or form controls that open new windows should be indicate to the user before they select the link that it will open a new window, either as part of the link text or as a title attribute description, that the link will open a new window. An example is the Create a message window in the mail view. Proposed solution Avoid spawning new browser windows. Any control which initiates the opening of a new browser window shall contain a title attribute stating, “This link opens a new browser window”. In addition to items from issues list: · A link to an accessibility statement which can be accessed from with the application (will be access key accessible). This statement will point out any accessibility specific info a user may need to use the product as effectively as possible. (i.e., list of access keys). · Access keys. · Alt tag fields provided for images used in question creation forms. · Improved focus locations. · Improvement of assessments for usability/accessibility. ........................................................................................................ //:Robert Dumas / Development Manager - Interface Design / WebCT US
Discussion List
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