RE: HWG AWARE-TECHNIQUES (was Hello?)

Thanks for shaking it up John. I had forgotten about this list, but actually
need it very much at this moment. I am  the midst of designing accessible
sites for a couple of customers. I am not sure what direction to take.

 I found a good resource for a talking web browser on the IBM website here:
http://www-3.ibm.com/able/ibmsns.html . I have been using the IBM Home Page
Reader to read web sites. It is amazing how different the sites function
with voice only. It makes you look at the design process differently. You
need to be much more descriptive in the text version.

I also tested pwWebSpeak ( http://www.soundlinks.com/pwgen.htm ), another
talking browser. This program actually reads some of the html tags. It could
get very confusing for a deaf user.

At this point, I have decided to do a text only version of the customers web
sites to make it easier for the disabled users to use. I am trying to find
out if the two products above are actually used, or if there are other, more
widely used programs or equipment that disabled people use to operate a
computer and surf the web.

If anyone has any info I this, I would appreciate it. It is pretty pointless
to design an accessible site if you can't test it in the actual user
environment. Maybe a separate text version isn't necessary.

Regards,
Gail

****************************************************************
Gail Isbell
Oasis Technology
Web Site Design/ Search Engine Positioning
Multimedia CD Presentations
Network/PC Support
gisbell(at)ebusiness-oasis.com

**************************************************************


----- 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 12:31 PM
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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