[Accessibility_sig] Flash banner with rotating images

[Kathy Keller]

Jan,

I am not a Flash expert, but have also seen the latest version of JAWS completely skip over a Flash script in testing. I have two thoughts to share with you. Consider creating another version of the links for people who cannot access the Flash version (for whatever reason). It could be links at the bottom of the page, or you could completely hide them from sight off to one side of the page using CSS.

The second thing to consider is: try to test in some older versions of JAWS to ensure that the Flash script does not hijack the screen reader and leave the user completely confused.

I wish I had more to offer, and hope this helps. You are in the right place. Most likely some other folks will jump in here and lead you in the right direction with more tips. Best of luck.

Kathy Keller
Web Accessibility Administrator
Communications/TPWD
www.tpwd.state.tx.us  


-----Original Message-----
From:	accessibility_sig-bounces at knowbility.org on behalf of Jan Heck
Sent:	Wed 9/17/2008 5:25 PM
To:	WebAIM Discussion List; Knowbility Accessibility-SIG; Alternate Media List
Cc:	
Subject:	[Accessibility_sig] Flash banner with rotating images

I have a question about a Flash banner with rotating, linked images which
appears on the home page of my college's Web site
(http://www.coastline.edu/). The banner is used to promote various college
programs and services; as each image comes up, it is "clickable" to take the
user to the page for that program or service.

 

I am not a Flash programmer and I am a novice using JAWS for testing.
However, when I have JAWS read the entire page to me, it seems to skip over
the banner altogether. So my guess is that these links are invisible and
inaccessible to screen reader users.

 

Here's the code used to insert the banner:

     <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="spotlight.swf"
height="193" width="519">

        <param name="movie" value="spotlight.swf">

        <img
src="http://www.coastline.edu/resources/images/spotlight/defaultBanner.jpg"
alt="Apply to Coastline Community College." height="194" width="516">

      </object>

 

My questions for anybody willing to take a quick look at it are:

1.       Am I correct that screen readers cannot access the rotating banner
as is?

2.       What verbiage can I use to communicate to the Flash programmer what
needs to be changed to "fix" it, if indeed a fix is possible?

3.       If no fix is possible, is there an accessible way to accomplish the
same feature, i.e., a rotating banner with each image having its own
hyperlink?

 

I thank you very much for any insight you can give me, and I apologize for
the cross-postings.

 

--

Jan Heck

jan at id4theweb.com

 




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