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<TITLE>The IMG element, proposing a CAPTION attribute</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">In response to the standards now being considered, I'm in favor of allowing percentages for the WIDTH attribute. In my own work, I've tried first to create a flexible layout that is (in roughly equal parts) semantically correct, scalable and accessible. Scalable graphic elements have been part of my effort, an example of which can be seen at </FONT><A HREF="http://www.wvdrs.org/workable/091806br.htm"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">http://www.wvdrs.org/workable/091806br.htm</FONT></U></A></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">It's a start toward developing something as universally accessible and standards-compliant as I know how to do. Those are my highest priorities, along with actually delivering the content to the end user. I've tested this in Firefox/Mozilla, IE5/IE6, Amaya, Lynx, JAWS and Window Eyes. Blind users report good usability, though I continue to look for ways to streamline and improve usability for all. I'm hoping this scalable layout may be even more useful as support increases for scalable vector graphics. Right now it's probably optimal for resolutions between 640x480 and 1280x1024.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">What's clearly missing from the IMG specification is an appropriate means for pairing each picture or graphic with a caption. Neither ALT nor LONGDESC is appropriate for this. My current solution, borrowed from Darren Brierton of Vancouver (</FONT><A HREF="http://www.dzr-web.com/people/darren/blog/2005/02/09/image-captions-in-xhtml/"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">http://www.dzr-web.com/people/darren/blog/2005/02/09/image-captions-in-xhtml/</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">), is to embed the image as the DT in a definition list, with the caption as the DD. Semantically, this makes sense because the caption does in fact "define" the image by adding both meaning and context for visual and non-visual users. But assumptions have already been made in the specifications about the nature of a definition list, and captioning was not among those assumptions, so it's a little clunky to bend the rules like this.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">A better way would be to semantically attach the caption or cutline to the image itself, so its display is paired naturally. In this way, the width of the cutline would be dictated (unless overruled in the stylesheet) by the width of the image. I'm suggesting that CAPTION be adopted as a new attribute of the IMG element, as it is already for the TABLE element.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">I come from a journalism background, and I learned layout and design in print publishing. I respect the differences in these media, but the time-honored use of captions for pictures seems like a tradition that should carry over from print into pixels. Among all literate people, I believe there is a longstanding expectation that pictures are accompanied by meaningful descriptions (usually below the image, but often to one side). The absence of image captioning seems to me to be an oversight, or at least an overlooked possibility, in the HTML/XHTML standards. As I was taught, a proper caption should not describe the picture (as ALT should), but complement or elucidate the information presented by the graphic.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">I've been frustrated many times as I found that the techniques I learned for HTML had since been deprecated. But having been edited most of my life, I've appreciated the reason each of those specs was made obsolete. XHTML and CSS have given us huge improvements. The requirement to separate style from content is a benefit to me and to people with disabilities for whom I design. If people want to add "cool" functionality to the specifications, that's OK with me. I just think we need to get some of the basics refined first.</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT COLOR="#000080" FACE="Verdana">Jeff Seager</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Verdana">public information specialist</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#FF0000" SIZE=2 FACE="Verdana">West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Verdana">Jeff.Seager@wvdrs.org</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Verdana">304-766-4609</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Verdana">800-642-8207</FONT>
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