- From: Barry McMullin <mcmullin@eeng.dcu.ie>
- Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:28:50 +0100 (IST)
- To: w3c-wai-eo@w3.org
On Fri, 28 Apr 2006, Alan Chuter wrote: > I think it's also useful to think about the GLs not only as how to make > web content accessible, so much as how to avoid making it inaccessible, > which isn't the same thing. I completely agree with Alan here. I too generally try not to talk about making websites "accessible", but rather about how to avoid *gratuitous* or *unnecessary* barriers to accessibility. (It is important not to get drawn into discussions about some imaginary utopia in which everybody would have "equal" access to all web resources regardless of ability or disability - because such a thing is plainly nonsense. People *do* have different abilities and disabilities, and some of these *do* sometimes place hard limits on what a particular individual can do. The point of "web accessibility" is not to somehow pretend that this is not so; but rather to ensure that any such constraints are definitely not *amplified*; and even, as far as technology can actually do so, that such constraints should be *mitigated* or *relaxed*. But it's all about practical accomodations, for real people, experiencing real barriers, in the here and now, and not some abstract utopian ideal where disability would somehow cease to exist...) Best - Barry.
Received on Friday, 28 April 2006 10:38:11 UTC