Re: Local government website accessibility

Hi folks,

Thanks for some great responses so far, both to me personally and to 
this list...they have given me some good ideas to address with my group. 
I think the following reply makes a great point...It's important to 
remember that just because an all-text site can be deciphered by a 
screen-reader, it does not mean that it is an appropriate solution for 
all disabled persons. Better to create and maintain one accessible site 
that is beneficial and stimulating to all groups, including those with 
and without disabilities!

Ironically, I just came across an article this evening, published in a 
recent supplement to Government Technology, entitled "Across the 
Disability Divide". It talks about state governments moving towards 
greater accessibility as a result of Section 508. It probably doesn't 
have much new to add to what all of us have read before, but it's great 
to see additional publicity of the accessibility issue for those still 
in the dark. To view the article, surf to 
http://www.govtech.net/magazine/sup_story.phtml?magid=1005000000000007&id=3030000000007728&issue=3:2002 
. If the long URL doesn't work for you, go to 
http://egovernment.govtech.net, and search for "Across the Disability 
Divide".

Thanks,
Ken

S Watson wrote:

>My opinion - please, please convince them that a text-only site is not what
>accessibility is all about.  Accessibility covers numerous areas and only
>one of them is visual.  Regardless of that, why wouldn't a person with
>visual challenges want something that has "imagery".  Some people have no
>vision, while others have limited vision.  I think that images should not be
>the issue but rather the key is to include "visually rich" descriptions of
>that image in the alt tag or in other areas.
>
>	My suggestions - take into consideration people who have limited motor
>control or other physical challenges also.  Make navigation easy to see,
>find and use.  That's just for a start.  What can you do for a person using
>a headstick to make it easier for him/her to write an email to someone on
>your site?  Working with adults with developmental disabilities, I look for
>basic wording and fairly common terms.  Can they find what they are looking
>for in a website without becoming extremely frustrated and give up?
>
>	I really do not believe that accessibilty is about setting up "different
>things" but rather inclusion.  Inclusion, inclusion, inclusion :)  None of
>the folks that I work want to be slotted to a different area - they simply
>want to be included in the mainstream.  Accessibility is, I believe, about
>incorporating aspects that allow people from all walks of life to access the
>information that you have available.  It's not about giving them a different
>area to go to that sets them apart.
>
>hth
>
>Shelley
>swatson(at)internavigate.com
>

HWG: hwg-basics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA