Re: The first thing that I don't like about the WAI-IG list

At 06:19 p.m. 01/02/99 -0600, Kynn Bartlett wrote:

>Once you've invested the time to learn, it's actually
easier
>to make an accessible site than to purposely break HTML and
>make one that's inaccessible.

>That's my mantra, and I'm sticking to it.


That was the point, Kynn. At this time it requires a
sizeable investment of time (and therefore money) to unlearn
the old ways and learn the new ways. So I still think it's
deceptive to ignore that effort and to tell people that it's
easier. I run a business, and that learning time (and time
to stay abreast of accessibility issues--I don't think we've
achieved perfection yet) either comes out of my time with my
family, or out of my work time. And I either pay for it
myself, or pass it on to the client. Either way, it's not
free and it's hardly easier.

In the future, maybe, though I doubt it. So is it really
true that it's easier, or is it just something that we say
because we *want* to believe it? Are their any studies that
prove this point one way or the other? Or do we just assume?

My experience is that learning how to build accessible sites
and even building them has required a lot of extra effort. I
would be interested in hearing from other designers on this
list regarding the amount of time they've invested in
accessibility related work. Is my experience unique, or have
others had similar experiences?

I would like us to discuss what is true and real based on
empirical evidence rather than making statements without
support, especially when those statements contradict
personal experience.

Charles Munat
Puerto Vallarta

Received on Saturday, 2 January 1999 19:39:23 UTC