[Fwd: [webwatch] Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website]

I don't think this tread or at least this part of it has appeared
here, but it should now.  I am sorry it is so none and somewhat
disjointed but it is important.
Thanks!


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [webwatch] Re: Accessibility for Popcomm Website
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 06:31:07 -0700
From: Mickey Quenzer <mickeyq@integrityol.com>
Reply-To: "webwatch" <webwatch@telelists.com>
To: "webwatch" <webwatch@telelists.com>
CC: dougb@railfan.com, webwatch@telelists.com
References: <3.0.5.32.19990502224311.007ea030@pop3.concentric.net>

Hello Doug:

This is Mickey Quenzer.  I work for the Productivity Works company. 
We
make a speech accessible web browser.

The web pages are presented to the user with speech.

First, I want to apologize for the unwanted mail that you have been
forwarded by Rich with frustratted users.
The message that Rich sent out was a vary negative one,, and it got
lot's
of folks upset.

I appreciate your willingness to make your sites accessible.
If there is anything that I can do, please let me know.
I will review your sites for you any time you want me to.
My contact information is:

*******              Mickey Quenzer            *******
******* Productivity Works Technical Support   *******
*******    Phone: 253-475-3811                 ******* 
*******    Email: {mickeyq@prodworks.com}    *******
******* WWW SITE: {www.prodworks.com}        *******
******* PWWebspeak ssil support:  *******
******* {http://www.prodworks.com/ssil_setup.html} *******
		 
At 09:12 AM 5/3/99 -0400, Al Gilman wrote:
>Great!  This sounds like a genuine opportunity.  We need to help Doug get
>where he wants to go with the minimum of waste motion.
>
>The down side is that I cannot promise to do adequate user testing myself.
>
>Doug will want to get help of four kinds: reference literature, peer
>support, critic tools and user testing.  Here is a draft set of
>recommendations in each category:
>
>Reference Literature: learn your way around <http://www.w3.org/WAI/> and
>particularly <http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/>.
>
>Peer support: get involved in a group that has an active interest group
>addressing accessibile web content authoring, such as the HTML Writer's
>Guild <http://aware.hwg.org/> or World Organization of Webmasters
><http://www.world-webmasters.org>.
>
>Critic tools: download and use Bobby <http://www.cast.org/bobby/>.  
>
>User testing: ask for comments on a consumer-controlled mailing list such
>as <webwatch@telelists.com>.
>
>Al
>
>At 10:43 PM 5/2/99 -0500, Tom Dekker wrote:
>>Hi folks,
>>
>>Well, I picked up my phone an hour ago, and it was the PopComm web master,
>>as you'll see below.  As I'm sure is often the case in these situations, he
>>had just never given much thought to the idea that blind people even access
>>the web.  In fact, he never knew before this cafuffle, that the magazine
>>was even distributed in braille; it was a complete surprise to him.
>>
>
>>Anyway, to make a long story short, you couldn't talk to a nicer guy!  He
>>wants to make an accessible version of the site whether PopComm compensates
>>him monitarily or not, which they apparently won't do.  Furthermore, as
>>you'll see, he wants to do the same for all the sites that he administers.  
>>
>>So, please circulate this on the appropriate lists, so we can stop the
>>incredible flood of "hate mail" that this poor guy's been getting i.e. our
>>friend Rich from PopComm has just been forwarding it all to him, monitary
>>compensation or not.
>>
>>Anyway, what Web Master Doug will want now, is volunteers to test the new
>>site when it's ready.  So if volunteers will write to me, I'll creat a
>>list.  Then I'll forward his "ready note" to the list.
>>
>>Apparently there are forms one can fill out on the site, which he says
>>he'll leave out, worrying that forms aren't accessible.  I said that there
>>are lots of ways of doing accessible forms, since I see them all the time,
>>but I'm not familiar with the technicalities of such things.  So maybe
>>people can write to him with their suggestions.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>His letter is as follows:
>>
>>
>>>X-Sender: dougb@mail.railfan.com
>>>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0
>>>Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 21:57:51 -0500
>>>To: dekker@concentric.net
>>>From: Doug Bailey <dougb@railfan.com>
>>>Subject: Accessibility for Popcomm Website
>>>
>>>Dear Mr. Dekker,
>>>
>>>I am the webmaster of popular-communications.com and I fear that I am, in
>>>some measure responsible for the current situation with reference to
>>>accessibility for the Popcomm website. When Harold first forwarded this to
>>>me, I was extremely overloaded and simply forwarded Harold's (and your)
>>>e-mail up the line with an estimate of what I thought it might take to
>>>render the Popcomm website.
>>>
>>>I feel I owe you an apology to the extent that had I given the matter more
>>>thought at that first instance, my reponse would have been quite different.
>>>Please write it off to age, low blood sugar and general crankiness.
>>>
>>>Now, after chatting with Rich Moseson, our online coordinator, I've decided
>>>to provide an alternate, text-only version of the Popular Communications
>>>website, and of the other five magazines published by CQ Communications. CQ
>>>Communications won't be billed for the additional time required to create
>>>the alternate versions, nor for whatever time is expended in maintaining
>>them.
>>>
>>>As I mentioned on the phone, I'd greatly appreciate your input as I begin
>>>to create this alternate web page which will also be devoid of forms. I'll
>>>let you know as I bring the pieces on line, and would appreciate any input
>>>you might have.
>
>>>
>>>It is also my intention to make the other sites for which I'm responsible
>>>accessible as well, these include:
>>>
>>>
>>>www.railfan.com
>>>
>>>www.flying-models.com
>>>
>>>www.rrmodelcraftsman.com
>>>
>>>www.carstens-publications.com
>>>
>>>www.261.com
>>>
>>>And some others that I can't think of right off the top of my head.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Doug
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Tom Dekker
>>
>>Access Technology Consultant
>>for the Blind and Reading-Disabled
>>
>>Houston, TX
>>
>>Telephone (281) 988-8982
>>
>>Web: http://www.concentric.net/~dekker
>>
>> 
>> 
>
>
*******              Mickey Quenzer            *******
******* Productivity Works Technical Support   *******
*******    Phone: 253-475-3811                 ******* 
*******    Email: {mickeyq@prodworks.com}    *******
******* WWW SITE: {www.prodworks.com}        *******
******* PWWebspeak ssil support:  *******
******* {http://www.prodworks.com/ssil_setup.html} *******

Received on Monday, 3 May 1999 13:52:24 UTC