Re: FW: US DOJ Ruling re Accessible Web Sites

Hi,
I think that such a web site is important.  Part of my believe is that
disabled people need to be self-advocates and such a site would give
them some of the necessary tools.  I lean towards using the carrot and stick
approach.  I usually like to start off with a soft sell, i.e. just giving
them the information about what is needed.  If no response, clarifying
more about how the current condition is affecting my life as a fellow
human being.  If still no response, then I go to the stick bin.  (The web site
could be the "stick bin".)  Often, I need to only lightly hit them on
the shins with the stick to get them to pay attention.

Having worked at a public university on and off, I've seen enlightenment work
only part of the time.  Many times enlightenment loses to budgetary bulliness
or bureaucratic backwardness.

Scott



>On Thu, 19 Mar 1998, Scott Luebking wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> Can WAI establish a web site for legal information concerning
>> web accessibility?  It be great to have a one-stop shopping center.
>> It would need to be broken down by country.
>
>JW:: I understand that in the early stages of the WAI, a project of this
>kind was attempted, but that reliable information was not readily
>obtainable. I think there is definitely scope for such a site. However,
>the primary task of the WAI educational effort should be to persuade
>authors and software developers to adopt universal design strategies out
>of a sense of justice and responsibility, rather than to raise the threat
>of legal liability. It is preferable to appeal to the high ethical
>standards and integrity of web content providers and software developers
>than to base one's argument on the provisions of antidiscrimination law.
>Nevertheless, it may be useful to provide information concerning the
>relevance of anti-discrimination laws in different countries to the
>provision of web-based documents and services. The Human Rights and Equal
>Opportunity Commission in Australia has already done so by releasing a
>discussion paper, a reference to which is included in the WAI page author
>guidelines.

Received on Thursday, 19 March 1998 23:33:31 UTC