On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 3:53 PM, Steve Jacobson <[email protected]> wrote:
> If I understand what you
> are saying, though, you designed a survey knowing that its design would put 
> users of one of the screen
> readers about which you were collecting information at a disadvantage.

The problem is that there is really no other standards compliant
method for providing a description/question for a grouping of
checkboxes or radio buttons. Fieldsets and legends have been in HTML
and web accessibility guidelines and best practices documents since
the 90s. They are used on probably millions of web forms. To not build
the survey using standard accessibility best practices to somehow
account for lack of support in Window-Eyes would render the survey
less accessible for *ALL* screen reader users.

Surely you would not expect us to make something inaccessible in order
for everyone to have the same experience as Window-Eyes users.

> Unless I have misunderstood what you have written, it appears that in 
> addition to gathering
> information, this survey was intentionally designed to sort of whip GW Micro 
> into line regarding this
> particular accessibility issue.

No, the survey was written using accessibility best practices. I
pointed out this issue on this very list in 2009 in hopes that it
would be fixed -
http://www.gwmicro.com/Support/Email_Lists/Archives/GW-Info/index.php?message_id=129517
Here's an article from 2007 detailing fieldset/legend and how
Window-Eyes behavior was inadequate then -
http://www.paciellogroup.com/blog/2007/11/fieldsets-legends-and-screen-readers/

As I have done on previous surveys, I have added a note at the
beginning of the survey documenting this issue for Window-Eyes users.
I am frustrated because Window-Eyes users keep blaming us for
inaccessibility of the survey when it is Window-Eyes that is causing
that inaccessibility. I simply hope that my recommendations for making
the user experience better will be considered.

Jared
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