Guideline 9. Design for device-independence.
Section 508, (Technical Standards) 1194.22
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/#gl-device-independence
"Use features that enable activation of page elements via a variety of input devices."
9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape
9.2 Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner.
9.3 For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.
9.4 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.
9.5 Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.
It seems that every week the assigned Guideline goes hand in hand with what we are learning in class. This week is no exception. With our Acme website, Brother Robertson has been helping us to make our web pages accessible to all users. Both to those who have the latest plugins and those whose browsing experience is limited to plain-old HTML markup.
The latest and greatest has been setting up our web pages to be accessible with a keyboard only. This should be the goal of any website developer. Make sure that all links within your page, and all cells within tables or forms are assigned a "Tab Index number". By doing this, you will enable users to navigate your site without the need for a specific device, such as a mouse. If you can configure your page to be accessed with a keyboard only, then every other technology (voice, head wands, etc...) will also work. You need to make sure that your Tab Index follows a logical order. After Writing your last name in a form, would you skip to the zip code where you live? or follow the usual method: Last Name then First Name then Street Address, etc....
Lastly, just like we did with our Acme demo site, create alternative viewing methods. For example, with our details page, we made it so that if Javascript is enabled, a pop-up window will display a larger version of the image. If Javascript is disabled, or the user doesn't have the appropriate plugin, the user will be transfered to an HTML view of the larger Image.
So, like I said before, make your pages accessible with a keyboard only. Test it out yourself to make sure that you can do everything you want, without using your mouse. If you can get it to work, you will have no accessibility issues.