[Accessibleweb] Re: AccessibleWeb@U Meeting Minutes - May 15, 2008

[Rick Ells]

Please keep us posted on your thoughts and discoveries. This is an 
important topic for all of us.

   -----------------------------------
     Rick Ells
     Senior Webmaster
     UW Technology
     206.543.2875
     rells at u.washington.edu
     http://staff.washington.edu/rells


On Mon, 19 May 2008, Kris Symer wrote:


> Hi Rick,

>

> You bring up a great point.  We tried to display all important content 

> as text in the body of the page so that it could be accessible without 

> the use of JavaScript.  This would also address the mouse dependency 

> issue.  But we still need to make a few improvements (e.g., parking 

> prices).  I will recommend to our PR staff that they revise the content 

> ASAP.

>

> I need to do more research on accessibility of Overlays in the Google 

> Maps API.  A lot has changed since I developed our pages.  My initial 

> testing shows that all currently visible links, including those in Info 

> Windows (i.e., caption balloons), are accessible in the tab order 

> without the use of a mouse.  But I still need to find a way to access 

> the Info Windows that are hidden by default--whether by tab order or 

> external link.

>

> Keyboard access is discussed in the Google Maps API group: 

> http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API/search?group=Google-Maps-API&q=keyboard

>

> More posts on accessibility... 

> http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API/search?group=Google-Maps-API&q=accessible+or+accessibility

>

> Thanks!

>

>

> -----------------------------

> Kris Symer

> Web Developer, UW Tacoma

> 253.692.4661

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Rick Ells [mailto:rells at u.washington.edu]

> Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 8:51 AM

> To: Kris Symer

> Cc: 'accessibleweb at u.washington.edu'

> Subject: Re: [Accessibleweb] Re: AccessibleWeb at U Meeting Minutes - May 15, 2008

>

>

> Kris:

>

> Very nice. Your example shows the potential of services like Google Maps

> to add information-rich widgets to a page.

>

> Could you share you thoughts about what can be done to make such widgets

> accessible to people who, for example, cannot use a mouse?

>

> It occurs to me that the propensity will be to embed information like

> location of parking in the widget configuration info, which may be only

> mouse-navigable. Do you know if Google has any plans for being able to at

> least tab among the defined locations on a Google Map widget?

>

> Could this be addressed with a content policy of always listing the

> locations in html near the widget?

>

> These are the kinds of questions I hope we address if/when the main campus

> map moves to something like Google Maps.

>

>   -----------------------------------

>     Rick Ells

>     Senior Webmaster

>     UW Technology

>     206.543.2875

>     rells at u.washington.edu

>     http://staff.washington.edu/rells

>

>

> On Fri, 16 May 2008, Kris Symer wrote:

>

>> Although the UW Tacoma campus map is still an image, we implemented 

>> some custom Google Maps while renovating related transportation pages 

>> last year:

>>

>> http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/campus_map/getting_to_campus.cfm 

>> http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/campus_map/parking_on_campus.cfm

>>

>> There is no database integration, just some manually plotted polygons, 

>> icons, and captions.  The techniques wouldn't scale well, but perhaps 

>> it will spur some ideas.

>>

>>

>> ----------------------------- Kris Symer Web Developer, UW Tacoma 

>> 253.692.4661

>>

>> _______________________________________________

>> Accessibleweb mailing list

>> Accessibleweb at u.washington.edu

>> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/accessibleweb

>>

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