screenreaders accessibility and css
I am working on some Drupal webforms for procurement of computer equipment following accessibility requirements (eg FPC provision(s) (1194.31a-f) etc etc)
So the webform must be accessible and screenreader valid
Here's the twist: the first form has checkboxes the buyer selects for required features to be accessible
A second webform must have only the corresponding Provisions, and the buyer then selects which Provisions apply or no
I am planning to use CSS display on the rendering of the second form - but client says NO NO NO CSS - however my research shows that CSS is okay, dynamic JavaScript can cause problems.
Client also says there is no free screenreader or accessibility test (he says most popular screenreader is "Jaws")
Client also insisted that webforms are not Drupal nodes
I am not very experienced in accessibility but need to get this right -
Can I use PHP and/or JavaScript to set the form fieldsets' display or visibility properties on the page load/rendering and be screenreader valid (ie if the fieldset is hidden on the screen the screenreader does not see/speak it either)?
decibel.places posted this at 03:22 — 26th July 2008.
He has: 1,494 posts
Joined: Jun 2008
Since nobody had any response, I would like to add what I have learned.
It is probably best to set the visibility of elements with PHP on page rendering. Some people have JavaScript off and some appliances for accessibility don't use CSS either. You do NOT want to change the appearance of the page with DHTML after the page renders.
The most popular screenreader is Jaws. It costs several hundred dollars but you can download a free trial.
There is an open source one NVDA
The Fangs screenreader plug in for Firefox on the addons page is not supported after Ffox 1. But you can get a working version here which is compatible with Ffox 3 as well.
The Ffox Web Developer addon has verification for Section 508 and WAI accessibility provisions.
Some answers on LinkedIn
A relevant thread on drupal.org
A couple more resources
http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=ScreenreaderVisibility
http://juicystudio.com/article/screen-readers-display-none.php
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