- From: Charles McCathieNevile <charles@w3.org>
- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 08:54:10 -0400 (EDT)
- To: Steven McCaffrey <SMCCAFFR@MAIL.NYSED.GOV>
- cc: <david@djwhome.demon.co.uk>, <simon.white@jkd.co.uk>, <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Interpretation of Section 508 is a legal question relevant to a particular
place, not a general accessibility question, and so is porbably off-topic for
this list.
Best place to ask for legal advice is a specialist legal advice service like
a lawyer or the relevant office of the relevant government. I am neither, and
will stay out of that bit.
There is an accessibility question implicit, which is whether a link to
another site that does conversions is the same as having the conversion done
on the original site.
As far as I can tell, a link is a link (although some of them go faster than
others) and so it doesn't make it a high-priority accessibility issue. The
big question as this applies to WCAG checkpoint 11.4 (my paraphrase: if after
best efforts you don't make your stuff accessible provide an accessible
version) is whether whatever you get from the link is in fact accessible - if
it isn't, then clearly it doesn't meet the checkpoint requirements.
If people are using this strategy then it is clearly important that they
check the results - assuming that an automatic service will do a good job
when one has no real control of it and one doesn't know how it does the job
can lead to making big mistakes.
Cheers
Charles McCN
On Fri, 10 Aug 2001, Steven McCaffrey wrote:
Hello Sime and all:
Although the conversion link is a step in the right direction, post
conversion assessment for accessibility is essential. Instructions are
easier to convert than the forms. Try f1040.pdf to see what I mean. I
found the resulting conversion completely incomprehensible.
Can anyone clarify Sec 508 paragraph M of 1194.22 on this? Is it
sufficient to provide a link to a plug-in or conversion link or is an
alternative accessible version on the site required? I would hope it is
the latter.
Steve
Steve McCaffrey
ITS
NYSED
--
Charles McCathieNevile http://www.w3.org/People/Charles phone: +61 409 134 136
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/WAI fax: +1 617 258 5999
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Received on Friday, 10 August 2001 08:54:38 UTC