[Athen] Jaws and javascript links

[Pamela Cress]

Another AccessIT resource on this topic is an archived version of a  
training session on "Making Web-Based Navigation Accessible" by Terry  
Thompson.  You can link to this on the AccessIT home page <http:// 
www.washington.edu/accessit/index.php> about halfway down the page.

Pam

Pamela Cress
Research Associate
University of Kansas
Institute for Life Span Studies
Phone: 620-421-6550, ext. 1888
E-mail: pcress at ku.edu

On Dec 4, 2006, at 3:32 PM, Travis Roth wrote:


> It sounds to me like the menus are not keyboard accessible,  

> possibly only

> responding to onMouseOver events.

> An article that discusses dynamic menus:

> http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?204#MainContent

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Stacy L. Smith [mailto:stacylee at ksu.edu]

> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 3:06 PM

> To: skeegan at htctu.net; Access Technologists in Higher Education  

> Network

> Subject: Re: [Athen] Jaws and javascript links

>

>

> Sean (and anyone else who has information on this!)

>

> When a student opens a course page in our LMS, he or she is  

> presented with

> main level links that, onMouseOver, open other lists of links.

> The main level links are recognized by JAWS.

>

> The second level links are a mix of some HTML links and some  

> JavaScript

> links.  For example, when I mouse over the main level link,  

> "Content," I get

> a list that contains the Calendar.  When I mouse over the calendar  

> link, the

> browser tells me that it's sending me to "javascript:openCal();".

>

> If the user instead clicks on "Content," a new content page loads,  

> with all

> of the same sections and same links.  The problem is that the links  

> in this

> new content window are the same javascript links, and they aren't  

> read,

> either.

>

> The developers (while they do very much care about accessibility)  

> evidently

> thought that since the *text* was present on the page, the reader  

> would

> "read" that text and the user would recognize it as a link.  They  

> didn't

> realize that the user most likely wouldn't navigate that way.

>

> I'm really new to this, and I know next to zilch about javascript, so

> anything you can tell me to pass along to the designers would be most

> helpful.

>

> THANKS!

>

> Stacy

>

> Quoting Sean Keegan <skeegan at htctu.net>:

>

>> Hi Stacy,

>>

>> I suppose I am a bit unsure of what you are asking.  Are the

>> javascript links you are describing part of a drop-down menu

>> structure?  In other

>> words, when you hover over the main navigation heading, additional

>> hyperlinks are revealed?

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Sean

>>

>> Sean Keegan

>> Web Accessibility Instructor

>> High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges

>>

>> -----Original Message-----

>> From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org]

>> On

>> Behalf Of Stacy L. Smith

>> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 9:16 AM

>> To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network

>> Subject: [Athen] Jaws and javascript links

>>

>> This message is for those of you famliar with Jaws - HTML

>> interactions.

>>

>> K-State uses a homegrown learning management system, which has a very

>> robust user interface.  A couple of semesters ago they changed the

>> main level

>> navigation to where some links are HTML and some are Javascript.

>> I just found out from a user this morning that he can't see what

>> turns out

>> to be the javascript links.  THe design team assumed that Jaws would

>> read

>> the text on the screen and didn't realize that the user may not be

>> navigating that way (and is instead navigating by looking for links).

>>

>> The design and programming crew is VERY interested in accessibility

>> and wants very much to fix this problem.  We have a new release  

>> coming

>> out in

>> early January, and it's possible we could fix this problem by then.

>> We just need to know how to do that without sacrificing the look and

>> feel of

>> the page for sighted users.

>>

>> Does anyone have any experience or ideas to share?  For example, we

>> wondered if there might be a name or value attribute that the reader

>> might pick up,

>> or perhaps some other very clever solution.

>>

>> I'm looking forward to your thoughts.

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Stacy

>>

>>

>> Stacy Smith

>> Adaptive Technology Specialist, Disability Support Services 532-6441

>> stacylee at ksu.edu

>>

>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~

>>

>> One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the

>> Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the

>> place to

>> train.

>>

>> --Morehei Ueshiba

>>

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>>

>>

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>>

>

>

> Stacy Smith

> Adaptive Technology Specialist, Disability Support Services 532-6441

> stacylee at ksu.edu

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice  

> the Art of

> Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the  

> place to

> train.

>

> --Morehei Ueshiba

>

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>

>

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