Re: Fwd: Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website

Woops, I must be getting tired. This doesn't look like english, but I guess
the ideas are still there.

Charles

On Mon, 3 May 1999, Charles McCathieNevile wrote:

  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
  

--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 19:06:26 UTC