[Accessibility_sig] [Fwd: Accessibility question]

[Karl Groves]

It is not true that "all" screen readers have JavaScript disabled.
In fact, some of the more recent screen readers "cope well" with JavaScript.
The issue - be it for purposes of accessibility or otherwise - is that
there's no guarantee that the user-agent (the browser/ screen reader) will
support JavaScript, nor is there any guarantee *how* it supports it.  

In many cases, people using screen readers will be completely unable to
handle a site that relies too heavily on JavaScript. Most of the time this
has as much to do with the site's use of device-dependent event handlers as
it does a lack of JavaScript support. In cases where the screenreader can
deal with JavaScript, the user still hits a snag when the script is fired
from "onmouseover" and the person isn't using a mouse to navigate. A good
example of this is "DHTML" or "fly-out" menus which leave a disabled person
completely unable to navigate because either their user-agent doesn't
support JavaScript or they aren't navigating with a mouse which means they
can't use the menu 

Here's a good resource: http://www.webaim.org/techniques/javascript/



Karl Groves
Master Certified CIW
http://www.karlgroves.com 

Grayscale Content Management System:
http://www.grayscalecms.com

Independent Musician's Handbook: 
http://www.indiebook.com

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Teenya Franklin [mailto:teenya at knowbility.org] 
> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 1:47 PM
> To: accessibility_sig at knowbility.org
> Subject: [Accessibility_sig] [Fwd: Accessibility question]
> 
> Can someone please answer this for me?
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: 	Accessibility question
> Date: 	Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:37:40 -0500
> From: 	<Dodie_Stillman at Dell.com>
> To: 	<teenya at knowbility.org>, <cdsturde at ev1.net>
> CC: 	<Chip_Sturdevant at Dell.com>
> 
> 
> 
> Teenya and Desiree,
> Can you tell me if this is a true statement...
>  
> All screen readers have javascript disabled, because they 
> basically read the HTML source.
>  
> And if that is true, can you adjust screen readers to 
> actually get anything from a javascript application on a web page??
> If so, what is your opinion, do most folks have this 
> adjustment made to their readers...
>  
> (Desiree, this is more to you...)
> This is all related to Dell.com at the moment, if someone 
> with a screen reader was going to try to purchase a computer 
> from Dell.com and someplace thru the purchase process they 
> ran into a javascript application would they be just stuck, 
> or would they be able to complete the purchase??
>  
> Let me know...
> thanks so much for you help and insight on this!!
> D-
>  
> 
> Dodie Stillman
> Global eCommerce
> Content Ops - Relationship
> 512.72*3.7603*
>  
> 
>  
> 
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