Re: Seamless Accessibility

At 05:13 PM 23/05/98 -0400, Kasday, Leonard R (Len), ALTEC wrote:
>While I agree that people should have the ability to hear or not hear long
>descriptions or d links, I'm really bothered by the implication that comes
>across in some of the mail that people who want to know what a page looks
>like are somehow wrong or misguided.

LQ::  They're misguided if they think the Web is a visual medium.

Why is there so much effort here to describe to a non-visual user what a
page looks like, but no desire to describe to a non-aural user what a page
sounds like?  I think the answer is that a lot of people consider the Web a
visual medium, and that's the wrong approach to solving the accessibility
problem.

LK::
>For example, a statement that
>describes descriptions of visual aspects as a "frill" that "some people
>value".  Saying that someone values a "frill" come across to me as a
>put-down of that person.

LQ::  I didn't intend it that way.  I view Cascading Style Sheets as a
frill, but they are a frill that I value strongly.

LK::
>As far as I'm concerned you try to give a person what they want, period,
>without any value judgments.

LQ::  Even if what the person wants would hurt the accessibility and
usability of the Web?

-- 
Liam Quinn
Web Design Group            Enhanced Designs, Web Site Development
http://www.htmlhelp.com/    http://enhanced-designs.com/

Received on Sunday, 24 May 1998 10:35:37 UTC