Actually, you can help people, by using a phrase that is pronounced
as intended like 'skip to main content':
http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0304-observing.html
Damian
I was talking to a blind friend over the weekend, and since he uses
Jaws screen reading software, the subject of web sites came up. I
was observing as how we in the profession were trying to make things
easier for people using other devices than a browser to use the web.
"For example, one of the things we're increasingly doing these days
is having a 'skip to content' link at the top of the page. In many
cases it's only visible to screen readers."
Then he floored me. He said "oh yes! I've seen those."
(interesting turn of phrase from a guy who's been blind since birth)
"but what are they for? I've never used them because I don't know
what they do."
The point is, he didn't know what the skip-to-content link was for
and therefore he wouldn't use it, lest he find himself a long way
away from where he wanted to go (the content) and then have trouble
getting back again. Perhaps we need to be a bit more expansive in
the link itself. Perhaps instead of "skip to content' we need to
have the link say "skip to the content of this page" or somesuch.
A blind reader will hear Jaws say "VISITED LINK.: SKIP TO CONTENT"
and thinking about it, it isn't totally obvious what that does.
Cheers
Mike Kear
AFP Webworks
Windsor, NSW, Australia
<http://afpwebworks.com>http://afpwebworks.com
.com, .net, .org etc domains start at A$20/year
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