Discussion Forum: Accessibility

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Topic: Accessibility

Message posted by ajay on July-28-2005 at 11:37am

November-09-2004
167 Posts

Have been looking into the W3C standards which will apply to all government departments in uk by 2006.
Sent the following e mail to Browsealoud:

"Thank you for enabling my website on a test basis.
I create Virtual Tours for clients using Java technology and Easypano & QuickTime software. I am particularly interested in whether the Browsealoud technology can be applied to such tours? You will see examples on my website. I am currently looking at the W3C principles and how they can be applied to Virtual Tours.
Regards"

Received the following answer which I thought might be interesting:

"Hi Alan,
Thanks for the email.
At present we cannot read Java unless it's accessible Java http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/guide/access/ At present we cannot read Easypano and QuickTime, and do not have any plans to do so.

Something that could be of interest to you re W3C and accessibility of images, is the current problem faced by local government.

All local authorities websites in England are required to have their websites conforming to the W3C AA (Double A) Guidelines by March 2006. Problem is, due to another initiative, local authorities are also required to have a GIS (Geographical Information System), or map, on their website. Currently GIS providers do not provide their maps in accessible format, and therefore any local authorities that have a GIS map on their website fail W3C AA.

A workaround which the RNIB (for the blind) are happy with, is having the local authority website provide a text description of the map located below the graphical image. This workaround is currently being accepted by government, and the W3C are reviewing their guidelines in respect of this.

So the long and the short of it. If you have an non-accessible graphical image/ tour on your website then the argument is there should be a text description close by. I suppose the detail which the text description should go into would be up to the website owner...

Hope this helps, and sorry for being a bit long winded.

Kindest regards

Oliver"

Sure this is not only applicable in UK - so something that EP really should take into account - otherwise working with government depts or others who are into this accessibility issue will be very difficult in future whether we like it or not!
Alan

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aj

Message posted by 360texas on July-28-2005 at 5:10pm

United States
June-12-2002
2240 Posts

So... as I understand it... a text description of the the panorama content would help with this issue.

I suspect adding a small written narrative below the panorama image could be heard (with Text readers) while the panorama is being displayed.

I think a blind person might be at odds when hearing verbage like "You are now seeing" in the narrative. Maybe... "This a photograph document describing a how a boat passes through a lock" might be better idea.

Thank you for letting us read the email reply. Adding a text description below the panorama viewer box is helpful.

Dave

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/s/
Dave
Forum Moderator for
EasyPano - Panoweaver
Pano2VR

Visit 360texas.com

Message posted by smooth on July-29-2005 at 2:57am

Australia
November-23-2002
5401 Posts

So long as it is in html not the Java window like Tourweaver.

Regards, Smooth

Message posted by BigGreenFurryTh on August-03-2005 at 10:44am

United Kingdom
January-07-2005
49 Posts

I'm currently facing this problem with a site where they want tours but it must have something for the visually impaired too. I'm therefore preparing text for under the TourWeaver presentation which is embedded in the page.

Mark

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