Re: "RisK' in "Web Accessibility is Smart Business"

  Hi Kerstin,

I think we have it covered in this general presentation because we say things like "some organizations" and clearly do not imply that there is a legal risk for all. See the text for speakers/readers (in the important notes area), which should be clear on this.

This is a general presentation that presents information for a wide ranges of situations. People are encouraged to customize it for their particular situation, including deleting, adding, or editing slides and text.

The instructions for the presentation <http://www.w3.org/WAI/presentations/bcase/> include:
"This is just one example of a business case presentation. Presentations for different audiences will present the business case differently. The resource "Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization" includes examples of how different types of organizations present different factors in the business case." and re-iterates the point further down:
"Customize your presentation for your audience.
* Focus on those aspects most relevant to the situation. The resource "Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization" includes examples of how different types of organizations present different factors in the business case. Each of the subpages (social, technical, financial, legal and policy) has questions to help you identify what is important to emphasize for a specific organization.
* See the "Notes for Presenters" throughout the slides."

If you have any suggestions on how to make this more clear, we welcome them!

Regards,
~Shawn


On 6/21/2011 1:29 PM, Kerstin Probiesch wrote:
> Hi Shawn,
> dear EOWG,
>
> actually in Germany there is no risk anyway, especially not for the
> private sector. The experiences from the last years have shown, that
> there is also no risk for those who have to do it. I don't want to
> fragment the presentation, but is it possible to have an alternative
> version for this slide?
>
> Cheers
>
> Kerstin
>
>
> 2011/6/21 Shawn Henry<shawn@w3.org>:
>>   Hi Rob,
>>
>> Thanks for the input. For some organizations, the legal risk is the primary
>> motivator for accessibility, and really the only reason that they do it.
>> "protect against unintended consequences" does have a nice ring to it, but
>> might not work well with non-native speakers. Some felt the more clear "
>> reduces risk of legal action" would be best in this case. So for this next
>> draft we're trying leaving it in -- within the totally different and
>> positive approach that you agree with below.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> ~Shawn
>>
>>
>> On 6/10/2011 7:36 AM, Robert Yonaitis wrote:
>>> All,
>>>
>>> I agree with Karl that legal action risk statements can be problematic
>>> and Shadi on being more positive and on the order in which the risk is
>>> presented in a positive manner:
>>>
>>> # Slide 13 [Reduces risk of legal action]: - "reducing the risk of legal
>>> action"
>>> I suggest changing the title of the slide to "other benefits" or such
>>> (as a follow-on from the previous slides), and mentioning some of the
>>> other benefits such as:
>>>   - "demonstrating corporate social responsibility"
>>>   - "complying with the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with
>>> Disabilities (CRPD)"
>>>   - "reducing the risk of legal action"
>>>
>>> I would just remove the third line all together and replace it with
>>> "protect against unintended consequences" and in the speakers notes
>>> add some discussion on eliminating customers, limiting information
>>> dissemination, the possible legal hassles etc.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Rob
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 8:22 AM, Karl Groves<karl.groves@deque.com>
>>>   wrote:
>>>> Sorry for the very late timing on this e-mail.
>>>>
>>>> The more I think about it, the more I think that having a slide that
>>>> discusses risk is like leaving a landmine of "fail" out there to get stepped
>>>> on by the presenter.  It can have a significant effect or it can be like
>>>> "proving" that accessibility is nothing to be concerned about.  I've been
>>>> refining my own thoughts regarding risk, and I think the argument is
>>>> compelling for large organizations.  Of course, the converse is true as
>>>> well.  Risk for small and medium companies is almost negligible. If these
>>>> slides are presented by someone without a firm grasp on the exact legal
>>>> landscape for the audience, it might work against them.
>>>>
>>>> Additionally, most of the litigation on web accessibility has taken place
>>>> in the US, with a little bit happening in Canada and UK. The rest of the
>>>> presentation is universal while this really isn't. Because this is a
>>>> presentation of the W3C, we may want to avoid being so US-centric here.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Karl L. Groves
>>>> Director, Training
>>>> Deque Systems, Inc.
>>>> Phone:  443.517.9280
>>>> E-mail:  karl.groves@deque.com
>>>>
>>>> Is a non-compliant website putting your organization at risk? Visit
>>>> www.deque.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>

Received on Tuesday, 21 June 2011 18:50:34 UTC