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Subject:Re: Web accessability From:Jean Weber <jhweber -at- WHITSUNDAY -dot- NET -dot- AU> Date:Fri, 7 May 1999 13:04:28 +1000
My take:
1) It's about time some pressure was put on designers to design sites "with
handicapped access in mind" -- that is, to make information accessible. In
additon to improving access to handicapped persons, I think of the millions
of people who will soon (if they aren't already) be using mobile phones and
palmtop computers to pick up their email and check info on the Web. (This
is mentioned in the article.)
2) Sites carrying government information (at any level of government)
should absolutely be as accessible as possible.
3) Many other sites would benefit greatly by applying the same principles
(if for no other reason that customer relations would improve, especially
among those disadvantaged by current design -- see again those palmtop
computer users). Perhaps as designers get used to complying with regs for
government sites, they'll apply that knowledge to other sites.
4) I can't see anyone attempting to enforce the regs against personal
sites. I seemed to read an implication in the referenced article that such
could happen (the hysteria factor).
5) What's a "Bauhaus", in the context of "Bauhaus"-like era of web design?
I can't comment on that when I don't know what you're referring to.
At 09:41 AM 5/6/99 -0500, Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com wrote:
>Take a peek at:
>
>http://www.freedomforum.org/technology/1999/4/30handicapaccess.asp
>
>The author goes a bit too far down the road to hysteria ...
>but he does highlight an issue which will directly apply to some of us. It'll
>become a requrement for those of us building US Gov't websites
> that the site be designed with handicapped access in mind.
>
>The W3C's web accessibility guidelines offer some advice for that road,
>but it struck me while reading them that we may be about to enter into
> a "Bauhaus"-like era of web design, if guidelines like this become required.
>
>What do you think?
