Re: Multi column layout question.

Ron Marriage ([email protected])
Sun, 25 Jun 95 14:07:24 PDT


Ah, you knew it was coming didn't you?

>>This problem is particularly acute with the partially sighted, who may be
>>reading text set to like an inch or so high. The images do not scale with
>>the text so they cannot see them.
>
>They should get a multiscan monitor (maybe a doctor's note can get them a
>hardware discount? <g>) and set their resolutions to 50dpi or less.

Hello Walter,

As a blind author of html, I thought I would let you know.
The blind nor visual handicapped get discounts for large monitors. We
not only pay the same price, but in some cases get charged more simply
because someone convinced someone somewhere that a larger screen
was a plus. Most blind use a screen reader to read their html pages. I use
Netscape as my browser and my screen reader will tell me background colors,
font styles and sizes, etc. It will not read columns though. It starts at the
top and goes down one line at a time. Text within graphics such as menumaps
are read to me.
Any text in two columns is scrambled so badly I can't
make sense of it. Items that scroll off the edge of my screen are simply gone.

I use lynx, mosaic, and netscape to check the appearance of a document.

I feel the entire issue of multi-column or wide screens in a document open
to the public is best left to style sheets and other non-html solutions.
Within a closed system then design for the common equipment that everyone
will have, Pages for public use should be designed with the public in mind.

(Stepping off SoapBox and leaving my two cents)
Ron
-------------------------------------
Ron Marriage [email protected] [email protected]
Personnal Page http://dialin.ind.net/~rmarriag/
City of Madison, Indiana http://dialin.ind.net/~madison/
-------------------------------------