Kristine Cummins wrote:
I’ve recently seen some arguments against the use of DHTML menus for
accessibility issues. How much is this an issue…. What is the
percentage of population that does not have javascript enabled? Any
other thoughts on the topic?
"DHTML menus" is a very vague term. The tool doesn't matter so much as
what you do with it.
A menu which used JavaScript to change the background colour of the menu
item when pointed at would qualify as a "DHTML menu". It would be an
inefficient way to do something that could be more easily achieved with
CSS, but the term would still apply.
I'm going to assume you are talking about drop down menus.
It is entirely possible to create something that works without
JavaScript progressively enhances (although there are some arguments
about whether drop down menus are an 'enhancement' on websites, see
below) when it is.
It is also possible to create things that not only fail to work when JS
isn't available, but sometimes fail to work when it is.
Take, for instance, a menu that depends on the user moving the mouse
over the title to cause the menu to appear.
Now approach it with a keyboard - there aren't any links (in their
theoretical example) for the focus to go to, so the menu can't be used -
even those the client supports JavaScript.
Next approach it with a touch screen (on an iPhone for example). The
client supports JS. The client can click. But the client can't hover the
pointer over anything. It's broken again.
Then there are other arguments again them:
http://www.message.uk.com/index.php?page=81
--
David Dorward
http://dorward.me.uk/
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