[IxDA Discuss] AJAX and Accessibility Question

[lisa herrod]

Hi Judi,

It really depends on the implementation. More often than not, Ajax is less
accessible for some users, particularly users of assistive technology
devices such as screen readers. However, for some users with cognitive
impairments, the use of Ajax can actually enhance the accessibility (user
experience) of a site.

Look for articles on 'unobtrusive Javascript' and 'progressive enhancement'.
Jeremy Keith has coined a term Hijax to describe the process of developing
unobtrusive Javascript, which degrades gracefully when Javascript is
disabled.

I'm not a Javascript expert by any means though, so perhaps you might search
those terms.



For others who are developing Ajax based sites, the following links might
also be of use:

Juicy Studio has just posted an article that discusses a Javascript
framework for enhancing the accessibility of AJAX / "web 2.0" based
websites: AxsJAX or 'Access JAX'.

http://juicystudio.com/article/axsjax-framework-aria.php


The Ajaxian site also has a section on Accessibility which might also be
useful:

http://ajaxian.com/by/topic/accessibility/


All the best,

Lisa

-- 
Lisa Herrod
Web Usability: User Experience Research, Consulting and Training

Business: http://www.Scenarioseven.com.au
Blog: http://www.Scenariogirl.com



On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:37:24, Björn Simonson <bjorn.simonson at creuna.se>
wrote:
>
> I'm currently working on a project with very high accessibility
> requirements. We use AJAX (and regular JS) a lot but also make sure
> there is always a functioning non-JS fall-back solution.
>
> That way we can make a state-of-the-art site that has a very high
> accessibility.
>
>
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> Posted from the new ixda.org
> http://gamma.ixda.org/discuss?post=22629
>
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