Re: Stickin' to m' guns

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffrey Frazier <thefuggimator(at)geocities.com>
To: hwg-theory(at)hwg.org <hwg-theory(at)hwg.org>
Date: Tuesday, April 07, 1998 10:07 PM
Subject: Stickin' to m' guns


>Greetings again, everyone. This is the Fuggimator once more.
>
>I still stick by every single word I said in my reply to the "Animation
>on a Web Page" thread. A few points:

>
>2. Many of you have brought up the problem of the visually impaired.
>Wow, what a nit to pick. What percentage of Internet users do you figure
>are blind??? You know what, I think we should make the Internet fully
>accessible to live floating heads in life support tanks! The call goes
>out, create new HANDS OFF Internet technology!


I will simply say that commercial web pages must be accessible to all.  As
per the ADA.  There has been a DOJ ruling on the subject.  You can have
legal action brought against you if your sites offer goods or services and
are not accessible.  Since you have chosen to make your attitude public, you
would not stand a chance in court.

The Hands Off technology has already been created, it is called voice input,
it is estimated that by the year 2004 650 million people will be using that
technology to access the Internet via phone.  One of the people who uses it
now is me.  I could not do my job without it.  Another is Stephen Hawking,
one of those "floating heads".

At this point in time,  only one percent of the world has access to the
Internet and who knows what technology will be used in the future.

Now for those poor, unfortunate disabled creatures, understand that there
would be no Internet without them.  E-mail was put in because one of the
original Arpanet designers had a deaf wife whom he communicated with via
tty.  It inspired him to add e-mail to the original specifications.

The telephone was invented because Alexander Graham Bell was looking for a
way to change speech to visual representation.  No Telephone, no Internet.


Sincerely,

Mike Burks

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