Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:28:14 -0800
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Nice to see this topic!
I agree with all Steve's points below, and add from personal
experience watching blind users: we know tab order is important to
most users - but tab order and field labels are particularly
important to blind users. I have watched blind users get quite irked
when the tab order is illogical and/or field labels don't make sense
to the purpose of the form.
I'd also add to stay away from single-select drop-down lists that
add additional fields on selection. The form constantly changes as
the user tries to make her/his way through the drop-down list -
quite crazy-making for blind users when each element on the list is
treated as a selection as it is read.
On Feb 25, 2009, at 2:58 AM, Steven Pemberton wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:18:51 +0100, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have any research or personal experience observing
>> blind users using online forms with screen readers? Specifically,
>> do blind users
>
> The place to ask this sort of question is on the W3C WAI lists,...
> As I understand it, there are two approaches to accessibility
> software... These two approaches can cause a difference in how
> blind users use a form....
>
> My limited experience with blind users filling in forms says that
> they do the same as sighted readers: sometimes they scan the form
> first, and sometimes, especially if they already know the form,
> they just pile in.
Absolutely- it's important to not confuse needs with human
behaviors. Blind users have special NEEDS, but still have the same
range of behaviors as any other user. :-)
> Accessibility software often has to use heuristics, for instance to
> tell which label belongs to which input control. There is currently
> work going on in WAI-ARIA to improve this situation, allowing pages
> to be more exactly marked up, to reduce the need for heuristics.
Best wishes,
Marilyn Tahl
"Empathy is not just about stepping into another's shoes. First you
must remove your own shoes." - Indian proverb
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