Re: Fwd: Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website

Actually,

I try to give make sure that w3c-wai-ig is a place where people get answers.
(By the simple expedient of answering questions which appear to be going
unanswered. There are plenty of helpful people there.)

I tend to direct people to /WAI/GL, /WAI/Reference/QuickTips, and whatever
else springs to mind at the time.

I am personally wary of recommending Bobby as a solution, since there are so
many things that it cannot check (being only a machine) and I am concerned
that people rely too heavily on it because it is a simple solution. But I
tend to mention it anyway. Likewise I am not sure about saying 'test in
multiple browsers' - it doesn't scale well, and think it is better to work
towards validity, with browser-specific hacks being recognised as such.

just my 2 cents worth

Charles McCN

On Mon, 3 May 1999, Al Gilman wrote:

  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
  >>
  >> 
  >> 
  

--Charles McCathieNevile            mailto:charles@w3.org
phone: +1 617 258 0992   http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative    http://www.w3.org/WAI
MIT/LCS  -  545 Technology sq., Cambridge MA, 02139,  USA

Received on Monday, 3 May 1999 19:02:19 UTC