Questions

There are three main things that obstruct Web Access: The HTML (or
whatever else might be used) of the web sites; the browser; the screen
reader (I am restricting this missive to visual impairment access).

While we often discuss the latter two it seems that the area with which
we have (I think rightly) the most concern is the first and that is what
one of the Working Groups has come up with guidelines and checklists,
etc. for.

My question: which of the (particularly the REQUIRED) guide lines is
amenable to some form of automation, be it a proxy server or a client
side filter?

In the authoring group we have discussed the possibility of "default
ALT-tags" but that seems about as likely as a photo reader that is as
good as an OCR (and we all know that those are far from perfect, though
now much better than voice recognition, e.g.).  In other words not
something that a handful of volunteers is likely to succeed with.  What
about some of the other REQUIRED things?

If anything can be solved by any form of agent, as apparently is
possible with HTML validators that can convert formatting to CSS use,
etc. it would behoove us to get those over and done with.

My guess is that we will be left with the thorniest of stuff, yet it is
that which sets humans apart, a conscious requirement to do those things
that machines cannot (yet?) do.
-- 
Love.
            ACCESSIBILITY IS RIGHT - NOT PRIVILEGE
http://dicomp.pair.com

Received on Friday, 6 March 1998 19:02:39 UTC