In my experience client-side validation works fine with screen readers but you need to be careful how you present any error messages. It is increasingly common to see them slid in silently, and this is a big problem not only for screen reader users but also for magnifier users because they are both unaware of the change.
I am a big fan of alertboxes for error messages. Sure they're clunky but they give an audible warning and they seize the focus so the user doesn't have to go hunting for the error message (assuming they even know that there is one). If you are forced to slide the error messages in silently, I recommend doing so at the top of the page and just above the Submit button. People have different strategies for figuring out what's going on if a new page does not load, but the most common are to return to the top of the page or to navigate backwards up the form. Error messages next to the relevant fields make it even easier for the user. You must retain the server-side validation because some people may not have JavaScript enabled so they will bypass the client-side validation. Steve -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of tee Sent: 12 February 2008 05:43 To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org Subject: [WSG] an accessible question: server-side vs client-side validation Hi, I have a question about server-side vs client-side validation. I always use a same PHP form script that works really great and it's server-side validation using condition and requirement, and I like the feature better than client-side's. A website I was working on, client wants client-side validation, something fancy, something Ajax. I like to stick with this form script because it has a great support for anti- spam; I suppose I can turn off the server-side validation if client- side validation is used, but I am concerned with the accessibility issue - I am particular curious how screen readers treat client-side validation. Thank you for you thought! tee ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
