RE: Hello?

There is a range of visual impairments ... eg colour blindness. I'm not even
colour blind, but I find the "teenage boy sites" (my son and his friends
seem to frequent sites with black backgrounds and tiny red text) make me
feel visually impaired ... but maybe that is intentional! There are also
accessibility problems that extend beyond visual and other physical
impairments (I prefer a broader consideration of accessibility that is
perhaps used in the US). Some sites (eg university sites that need to ensure
access and equity) need to make sure their sites are accessible to a range
of clients who may be using very slow modems and older browsers, or just
text based browsers. Most of the techniques for ensuring accessibility for
those with physical challenges also ensure accessibility for all.

Case in point: Our university recently changed campus book stores. This was
a sore point anyway for reasons I won't go into here, but to add insult to
injury the bookstore just announced its website. The search facility and
much of the site is useless to anyone except those using newest IE browsers
and PCs. Nevermind that most of our campus machines are macs and most of our
students are using older browsers and NN. I have checked the site using
Bobby and the homepage fails on all counts, and I can't get Bobby to even
check some of the lower levels of the site. Since our students are expected
to use this supplier, I'd say that that is a real accessibility issue.

Lynda

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-aware-techniques(at)hwg.org
[mailto:owner-aware-techniques(at)hwg.org]On Behalf Of Lauren Hanka
Sent: Thursday, 24 January 2002 7:03 AM
To: aware-techniques(at)hwg.org
Subject: re: Hello?


I'm here John, and have been watching with hesitated interest. Please, be
don't be disgusted, but I find accessibility issues annoying. Tell me why
one must study, on top of all the other studies that are required to keep up
with this ever-changing, and highly competitive field, to make a site
accessible for the visually impaired, when if this is desired, all that's
really needed, as far as I understand, is make a "text only" duplicate of an
existing site? Am I wrong? Short-sighted? After all, the Web, *is* a
visually based medium, as is television. Of course, I am in agreement that
easily accessible *information* be available for the visually impaired on
the net, just annoyed that a separate and specialized technique must be
learned and employed to make a basically visual site easier to see for the
visually impaired --it just doesn't make sense in the efficiency department.

On the other hand --since North American governments are establishing
compliancy requirements, and since there are so few designers with knowledge
in this area, I'm game to learn...

Just my quick, unguarded, and conflicting personal thoughts...
Lauren


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Foliot - Another 4:00 AM Web Thing" <foliot(at)fouram.com>
To: <aware-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 10:31 AM
Subject: Hello?


> This appears to be the sleepiest list I've ever subscribed to.  What's the
> problem? Are there really no issues, or does nobody but a very small group
> of us actually care?
>
> - Yesterday I received an eMail from the good folk at M*crom*dia (names
> changed to protect the innocent) who have put on a travelling road show to
> demonstrate the accessibility features in a number of their applications
> (both graphic and code tools).  Has anyone been to any of these demos in
> their home town?  Is it worth investing half a day of dog and pony show?
> Inquiring minds want to know...
>
> - As a Canadian web developer located in Ottawa, Ontario, list members
might
> be interested in the following fact:  The Canadian Federal Government has
> mandated all federal web sites be compliant to the Level 1 and Level 2 WAI
> Guidelines, similar to the Section 508 statute in the US, but, to my
> understanding, stricter.  Can anybody confirm or deny this fact?
>
> - There is a dire need for developers who are both aware and able to code
to
> these standards... hint<wink>.  The Canadian government has provided a
> testing group to assist governmental employees who actually work on
federal
> sites (http://www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/clf-upe/1/wats/wats_e.asp) to help them
> identify and correct potential problems.  Attendees consistently ask if
> there are any "real time" support mechanisms out there.  I would love to
> recommend this list, but the last posting was dated October 8th, 2001.
>
> So, show of hands... is there anybody out there?
>
> JF
> Ottawa, Ont.

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