- From: Charles F. Munat <coder@acnet.net>
- Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 00:56:11 -0600
- To: +ADw-w3c-wai-ig+AEA-w3.org+AD4
-----Original Message----- From: Charles F. Munat +ADw-coder+AEA-acnet.net+AD4- To: Kynn Bartlett +ADw-kynn-hwg+AEA-idyllmtn.com+AD4- Date: Saturday, January 02, 1999 7:10 PM Subject: Re: The first thing that I don't like about the WAI-IG list At 06:52 p.m. 01/02/99 -0600, Kynn Bartlett wrote: +AD4-What sort of empirical evidence are you looking for? This sort: 1. How much time, on the average, has a web designer who's trying to design accessible sites spent learning how to do so? Not how long is the class, but what is the reality? Yes, in the future with enough marketing, etc. perhaps this will become a non-issue, but right now that doesn't help me much. I spent a +ACo-lot+ACo- of time trying to find this information and sorting through the various arguments and I'm +ACo-still+ACo- not sure I really understand it all. 2. How much time, on the average, does it take to convert a currently inaccessible site to an accessible one and what does that translate into in terms of dollars? 3. Is there, in fact, extra effort required to make a site accessible? Are there comparisons of sites? Studies? Anything scientific? Or are we just guessing? Some stuff is just common sense. If I want to add an +ACI-aural, braille, tty+ACI- stylesheet to my page, doesn't it take some time to make that stylesheet? Didn't I invest some time learning how to make that particular stylesheet? And don't I have to test it? And doesn't that mean I need to come up with the browser to test it in, install it, learn how to use it, etc.? I honestly can't believe that anyone who has actually gone through this process can say that it doesn't take any extra effort. Furthermore, if I decide to heck with the aural stylesheet and save the effort, is my HTML broken? I think not, but my site may still not be entirely accessible. +AD4-In my experience, this ISN'T hard to teach. Start with ALT text +AD4-for all images, and you've already eliminated half the accessibility +AD4-problems on the net. Go on from there, and I can teach the rest in a +AD4-day (face to face) or a six week course (at a leisurely pace), and +AD4-all you'll need after that is the URL of the WAI guidelines and the +AD4-quick reference card. For me, a full day's work is several hundred dollars gross. Not exactly peanuts. What's more, this assumes that accessibility is solely about code, whereas I think it goes well beyond that to the fundamental design of the site itself. And to make a truly good site, it should be tested. For an accessible site, the best idea would be to test it with the applicable browsers and to have testing done by persons with disabilities. More effort. I still don't see how this is easy. +AD4-The only real hurdles are (a) getting people to realize there's +AD4-something to learn, (b) opening their eyes to the effects, and then +AD4-(c) just slogging through the guidelines. The first is a matter +AD4-of marketing, the second of personalization, and the third is just +AD4-transmittal of information. +ACI-Slogging+ACI-? That's almost an admission that it involves real work. And until the first two objectives are achieved, there are likely to be many more designers like me who have to re-learn everything. That is the reality, in my opinion. And I still feel that it's insulting to those who have labored long and hard to learn this stuff to minimize their efforts. I'm not trying to feel that way, I just do. Charles Munat Puerto Vallarta
Received on Sunday, 3 January 1999 02:04:33 UTC