Fwd: Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website

Here is a QuickTips version I scratched out of a program plan for a
well-meaning webmaster.  Is there already one of these on the WAI website?
The WOW or AWARE site?  Better ideas for what advice to give?

Al

>Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 09:12:29 -0400
>To: Tom Dekker <dekker@concentric.net>, Caroline Congdon
<kb9qqz@execpc.com>, Mickey Quenzer <mickeyq@prodworks.com>, Steve Matzura
<sm@dataguardian.com>, Janina Sajka <janina@afb.org>
>From: Al Gilman <asgilman@iamdigex.net>
>Subject: Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website
>Cc: dougb@railfan.com, webwatch@telelists.com
>
>Great!  This sounds like a genuine opportunity.  We need to help Doug get
where he wants to go with the minimum of waste motion.
>
>The down side is that I cannot promise to do adequate user testing myself.
>
>Doug will want to get help of four kinds: reference literature, peer
support, critic tools and user testing.  Here is a draft set of
recommendations in each category:
>
>Reference Literature: learn your way around <http://www.w3.org/WAI/> and
particularly <http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/>.
>
>Peer support: get involved in a group that has an active interest group
addressing accessibile web content authoring, such as the HTML Writer's
Guild <http://aware.hwg.org/> or World Organization of Webmasters
<http://www.world-webmasters.org>.
>
>Critic tools: download and use Bobby <http://www.cast.org/bobby/>.  
>
>User testing: ask for comments on a consumer-controlled mailing list such
as <webwatch@telelists.com>.
>
>Al
>
>At 10:43 PM 5/2/99 -0500, Tom Dekker wrote:
>>Hi folks,
>>
>>Well, I picked up my phone an hour ago, and it was the PopComm web master,
>>as you'll see below.  As I'm sure is often the case in these situations, he
>>had just never given much thought to the idea that blind people even access
>>the web.  In fact, he never knew before this cafuffle, that the magazine
>>was even distributed in braille; it was a complete surprise to him.
>>
> >>Anyway, to make a long story short, you couldn't talk to a nicer guy!  He
>>wants to make an accessible version of the site whether PopComm compensates
>>him monitarily or not, which they apparently won't do.  Furthermore, as
>>you'll see, he wants to do the same for all the sites that he administers.  
>>
>>So, please circulate this on the appropriate lists, so we can stop the
>>incredible flood of "hate mail" that this poor guy's been getting i.e. our
>>friend Rich from PopComm has just been forwarding it all to him, monitary
>>compensation or not.
>>
>>Anyway, what Web Master Doug will want now, is volunteers to test the new
>>site when it's ready.  So if volunteers will write to me, I'll creat a
>>list.  Then I'll forward his "ready note" to the list.
>>
>>Apparently there are forms one can fill out on the site, which he says
>>he'll leave out, worrying that forms aren't accessible.  I said that there
>>are lots of ways of doing accessible forms, since I see them all the time,
>>but I'm not familiar with the technicalities of such things.  So maybe
>>people can write to him with their suggestions.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>His letter is as follows:
>>
>>
>>>X-Sender: dougb@mail.railfan.com
>>>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0
>>>Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 21:57:51 -0500
>>>To: dekker@concentric.net
>>>From: Doug Bailey <dougb@railfan.com>
>>>Subject: Accessibility for Popcomm Website

>>>
>>>Dear Mr. Dekker,
>>>
>>>I am the webmaster of popular-communications.com and I fear that I am, in
>>>some measure responsible for the current situation with reference to
>>>accessibility for the Popcomm website. When Harold first forwarded this to
>>>me, I was extremely overloaded and simply forwarded Harold's (and your)
>>>e-mail up the line with an estimate of what I thought it might take to
>>>render the Popcomm website.
>>>
>>>I feel I owe you an apology to the extent that had I given the matter more
>>>thought at that first instance, my reponse would have been quite different.
>>>Please write it off to age, low blood sugar and general crankiness.
>>>
>>>Now, after chatting with Rich Moseson, our online coordinator, I've decided
>>>to provide an alternate, text-only version of the Popular Communications
>>>website, and of the other five magazines published by CQ Communications. CQ
>>>Communications won't be billed for the additional time required to create
>>>the alternate versions, nor for whatever time is expended in maintaining
>>them.
>>>
>>>As I mentioned on the phone, I'd greatly appreciate your input as I begin
>>>to create this alternate web page which will also be devoid of forms. I'll
>>>let you know as I bring the pieces on line, and would appreciate any input
>>>you might have.
> >>>
>>>It is also my intention to make the other sites for which I'm responsible
>>>accessible as well, these include:
>>>
>>>
>>>www.railfan.com
>>>
>>>www.flying-models.com
>>>
>>>www.rrmodelcraftsman.com
>>>
>>>www.carstens-publications.com
>>>
>>>www.261.com
>>>
>>>And some others that I can't think of right off the top of my head.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Doug
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Tom Dekker
>>
>>Access Technology Consultant
>>for the Blind and Reading-Disabled
>>
>>Houston, TX
>>
>>Telephone (281) 988-8982
>>
>>Web: http://www.concentric.net/~dekker
>>
>> 
>>

Received on Monday, 3 May 1999 09:24:19 UTC