- From: Tom McCain <tmccain@butler.edu>
- Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 08:11:55 -0500 (EST)
- To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
I also have watched the guidelines for accessibility grow and I appreciate
the work that has been done. But of the people on my campus, I am one of
the few who will both read and understand them. However, my job here is to
help people create web pages and since I think accessibility is important,
I provide my own tips for accessibility. Those tips rarely involve writing
HTML code because the average web author here -- and I believe we are
typical -- doesn't do HTML.
That's OK, though, because I think making web sites accessible is a whole
lot more about thinking than it is about writing code. I can help someone
make alt-text happen -- that's easy -- but what I want them to do is think
through it and have reasons why one parcel of alt-text is more helpful
than another. I can help someone make hyperlinks work -- that's easy --
but what I want them to do is think through it and know why it makes sense
for links to make sense.
I agree with Kynn's original statement. For this to work, accessibility
needs to be accessible, and I think teaching thinking is more important
than teaching code. Even the quicktips are moderately geeky.
- tom
tom mcCain, Butler University, Indianapolis USA
Work phone: 317 940-8138
Email address: tmccain@butler.edu
Web addresses: http://trevor.butler.edu/~tmccain
http://www.crittur.com
Received on Tuesday, 8 December 1998 08:11:58 UTC