-----Original Message----- From: Matthew Cruickshank [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, 19 December 2004 2:08 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [WSG] accessible image form buttons
> I haven't ever found any accessibility expert saying images of text are > inaccessible when the > image is well designed (read: 12px+ font, high contrast), and I've looked. A > couple of years > ago this came up and I was trying to find a reference to someone who > described this scenario > but there was only blanket statements about text in images being bad, and how > fixed font sizes > affect accessibility but the examples they used were sites with tiny 8px > fonts. I was unable > to find examples of harm to users when it's done infrequently and carefully, > and I tested it > with about a dozen elderly and disabled users. Not a one had a problem. Just one example: I tested a website recently with a range of disabled users. One of them had a visual disability that left him with a limited field of vision. The problem for him was that he could not read any font that was under 14pt. In fact, the font he could read best was 14pt and blue, as black font appeared blurry to him. I agree, it's probably not "inaccessible" to make the font a bit smaller, but it adds to the positive experience of the user to make the website as flexible as possible, so that he/she can modify it to suit their needs. But you are right: very often the text-only solution clashes with a nice design. It probably depends on the situation and the target audience. In my particular case the font of the button is Verdana and hasn't got anything fancy on it. So I can't see why I should make it an image. ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************
