9.4. Creating Accessible SharePoint Sites
Enough about the advantages and details associated with creating accessible Web sites — this book is about developing SharePoint sites, so let's get to the part about implementing these techniques in MOSS Publishing sites. Out-of-the-box (OOTB), SharePoint does not generate accessible HTML markup. Accessible Web sites generally implement their layout using HTML <DIV> elements and CSS, compared to the traditional <TABLE>-based layouts. The HTML generated by SharePoint by default is primarily <TABLE>-based.
However, this is not just a SharePoint issue; the <TABLE>-based layout stems from the inherent architecture of Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0: It is built on top of the .NET Framework (specifically, ASP.NET 2.0). The controls included in ASP.NET 2.0, such as the GridView and Menu controls, are rendered using HTML <TABLE> elements. While it is possible to change the rendering of controls in ASP.NET 2.0 with control adapters, it is not a turnkey solution.
The new WSS 3.0-based architecture built on top of ASP.NET 2.0 is not all bad news when accessibility is considered. The fact that SharePoint can now fully leverage the master page model makes it much easier to centrally control the rendering.
As previously covered, creating accessible Web sites does not just fall in the domain of developers and designers. Content owners and editors also have a responsibility when managing content. For instance, adding images to an article on a ...
