R: Accessibility is for all users

Hi William, hi group,

William:
We have belabored this endlessly and the present situation is that there are
no documents that do not address the benefits to everyone from
accessibility, even though they do this in various ways. The fundamental
issue is that the WAI was formed to ensure/further accessibility for PWD. 
The benefits to everyone are of course important and central, but within the
context of WAI documents, we have, after much wrangling (much of which is
not readily apparent to newcomers to the Working Groups), decided to deal
with PWD concerns first and essentially tout the benefits to everyone as,
while not an afterthought, not the central issue.
I believe that we reached consensus on this a few years ago. Perhaps times
have changed, but there should be some "policy statement" addressing this
issue that will not die.

Roberto: 
I don't want to make a revolution in WAI, I'm a newcomer in the WG and I
always try and learn something new from any discussion and meeting, and I do
believe that WAI has made and is still making a wonderful job. I'm just
trying to give my personal contribution in making a good, clear and really
useful intro document.

That's why I'm not proposing to exclude PWD from WAI documents (I'm not
crazy), but to add something - an introduction, a sentence, a paragraph,
even a single word, universality for example - which can suggest to any
newbie coming for the first time into WAI Web site: "Ehi, this is good stuff
even for you; go on and surfing on this web site, you'll be able to make a
better web for PWD and for everybody".

If we all agree that the benefits of accessibility to everyone are of course
important and central, we should consider the opportunity to enhance web
accessibility definition on that document; enhance, not change radically.

My best regards,

Roberto Castaldo
-----------------------------------
www.Webaccessibile.Org coordinator
IWA/HWG Member
rcastaldo@webaccessibile.org
r.castaldo@iol.it
Mobile 348 3700161
Icq 178709294
-----------------------------------

Received on Thursday, 17 June 2004 09:41:01 UTC