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Posted by David Mark on 08/07/07 23:28
On Aug 7, 2:28 pm, Karl Groves <k...@NOSPAMkarlcore.com> wrote:
> Dylan Parry <use...@dylanparry.com> wrote innews:46b73b6f$0$646$bed64819@news.gradwell.net:
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> > I've been wondering lately about navigation and accessibility. There
> > are two places that the navigation can "live":
>
> > 1) Before the content;
> > 2) After the content
>
> > But which is best from an accessibility point of view? I used to think
> > that it was best to put the content first and the navigation following
> > it, but started to think about it - what's more annoying: having to
> > select a "skip navigation" link/listening to the same navigation on
> > every page; or realising you're on the wrong page but having to listen
> > to 20 paragraphs of content before getting to the navigation?
>
> > For that reason, I'm inclined to think that perhaps the best place for
> > the navigation is indeed before the content with a link to skip it. I
> > know I'd rather select that link on each page that wade through the
> > content just to get to the next page!
>
> > What are your thoughts on this issue?
>
> Having observed disabled people actually using sites, I can say that my
> personal opinion is that it doesn't really matter (for blind users) so
> long as: a) they can access content easily without being burdened with
> repetitious tabbing past lists of links and, b) they can effectively
> navigate when they need to. c) they know how to do "a" and "b"
>
> So, if your nav is *before* the content, immediately give them a way to
> skip it at the very top before any content is written out (IOW, right
> aftter <body>)
>
> If your nav is *after* the content, immediately give them a way to get
> to the navigation, again right after <body>
>
> Most people unfortunately believe that this feature only benefits blind
> users, and fail to understand that people with motor control problems
> have to tab to navigate. Where you place navigation (before or after
It is also useful for users of text-only browsers and handhelds.
> content) is of no consequence to blind people as long as they can use it
> without it being a huge pain in the ass. But people with motor control
> disorders will *see* the navigation there at the top (or left) and begin
> tabbing, expecting focus to switch to the navigation options early in
> their tabbing. If the navigation is placed after content, this also
> means they won't get focus on any of the navigation links after they've
> already tabbed through everything else. In other words, you've just
> removed frustration from one population and transferred it to another.
You can create a logical tab order to make the navigation focus first,
or better still, use access keys for frequently used navigation
elements (eg home, up, next, etc.)
Navigation:
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