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Posted by Alan J. Flavell on 07/15/06 12:55
On Sat, 15 Jul 2006, Chris wrote:
> I want to check my css layout renders OK for people using screen
> readers and text only browsers. Can anyone recommend the best way to
> do this?
The *best* way is to get some screen readers, speaking browsers etc.
but they cost real money (in some cases, hair-curlingly so).
If you want a low-cost assessment, you could download the Windows
version of Opera and enable its voice features (causes an additional
download). Support is only offered at the moment for US-English
language under Windows.
Then you'd have:
1. Opera's View> Style> Emulate text browser
2. Opera's speaking features ("v" keycommand to speak the selection;
ctl/A then v will select the whole page then speak it).
I'd rate it as pretty useful, but not to be taken as the whole story.
Opera has some other useful emulation modes.
If you're in a position to install a version of lynx and/or elinks
then it can help, but don't assume that all speaking browsers behave
in the same way as might be deduced from Lynx.
There used to be a free 30day trial of IBM HPR, but the terms have
changed now. Might be worth taking a look anyway.
> Any general pointers to resources on accessibility would be great
> also.
That's a moving target. The first edition of the WAI guidelines
contain some good material, but several pieces of advice on what to do
"until user agents" get better, are best crossed out as they can cause
more trouble than they avoid.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ , of course.
The second version has been extensively overhauled and restructured,
but it's early days to rate it properly.
Above all, if you are genuinely interested in accessibility then you
need to spend time on the *subjective* aspects. There are by-rote
checkers that will report on the *objective* guidelines, but you need
to understand how to respond to those reports, or else the fixes can
make things worse rather than better. And I don't only mean choosing
absurd "alt" texts for images.
good luck
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