Accessible Store Front Builders

Please Help!

We are attempting to build an online store to sell tutorials that teach people
who are blind how to use specific Windows programs with their screen reader.
Because we are grant-funded, we cannot afford to hire a vendor to setup and
host our online store. We have been looking for a site builder that will
create
an accessible storefront. So far we haven't had any luck.

A complicating factor is that we have e-tutorials that we want to offer as a
downloadable item.

Of the site builders we have found that offer the type of product fulfillment
we nee, ALL use check out pages that are not accessible. For example:
Yahoo stores. The Download Now image link does not have ALT text. As a result,
the user does not know when to activate the link to receive the file they have
purchased. 

AtRetail.com pages use combo boxes that have the OnChange script  
    <select name="payment_method" OnChange="document.retail.submit()">
        This script make the combo boxes inaccessible to keyboard users.
Virtual Cart. Their ASP pages are only keyboard accessible in Internet
Explorer.

We have written to these vendors expressing our problems, but have not
received
any response.

Does anyone know of a storefront builder similar to Yahoo's store feature that
will create an accessible storefront? We are growing desperate!

Our endeavor has revealed more barriers to accessibility. Any small business
that uses the vendors listed above is creating inaccessible stores.

Shan Sasser
Project ASSIST With Windows
Iowa Department for the Blind
Sasser.Shan@blind.state.ia.us

Received on Monday, 25 October 1999 16:47:24 UTC