> I'm yet to run into a situation where it would be useful to have > content presented only to screen reader users.
A few years ago when testing sites for blind users we noticed that content, even when marked up with sound semantic structure, was not always easy to follow. This was because blocks of content were not clearly defined and screen reader users where not sure what information was related. In January 2006 we did another series of tests [1] with screen reader users and included "structural labels" [2] - where information blocks of content were labelled with headings. These headings were sometimes irrelevant to sighted users but highly relevant to screen reader users. For example, we labelled navigation sections with "Site navigation", "Endangered frogs navigation" etc. These labels were not necessary (and possibly quite disconcerting) for sighted users as the content's position provided meaning, but very important for screen reader users. The conclusion at the end of the testing [3] stated: "All of the research participants who used the test sites found the structural labels for the different levels of navigation useful. The inclusion of structural labels seems to be an effective and relatively simple solution to the significant problem some screen reader users have in identifying the different elements on a page. Also, through the use of CSS it is possible to include these labels without affecting the visual appearance of the page. In our opinion, structural labels should be used to help describe different components of the page to screen reader users." The method used to hide these structural labels is called off-left and has been tested extensively by Bob Eason [4]. Perhaps the best test is that sites that use these labels when seen without CSS have additional meaning, so they are more valuable not only to screen reader users but also text-based browsers and any other device that does not support CSS. [1] http://www.usability.com.au/resources/source-order.cfm [2] http://www.maxdesign.com.au/2006/01/17/about-structural-labels/ [3] http://www.usability.com.au/resources/source-order.cfm#conclusion [4] http://www.access-matters.com/2005/09/13/quiz-529a-screen-reader-test-9a HTH Russ ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
