Re: Web designer tells peers to damn accessibility/useability -Reply

Just to clarify a couple of points if I managed to muddle them in that
article (which, for what it's worth, was written to start dialogs like
this and talk about what works and what doesn't rather than accept
anyone else's opinion that something stinks because it didn't work in
their particular implementation):

I don't think I wrote anywhere in there that we should simply dismiss
and/or ignore accessibility/useability issues. On the contrary, use of
CSS2 will augment alternate client accessibility by pointing to
printable/viewable pages, etc. And any current technology doesn't
preclude disabled users from accessing anything - the designer/developer 
does that by not using available methods of providing that access. What
I hope to stop is not progress toward a standardized, open Web but
rather the continual process of propping up pages to work in
outmoded/outdated browsers using workarounds that take up too much time
which may create an atmosphere of fear of new capabilities (including
those designed to open up Web access) because we're so busy covering up
past mistakes.

I am certainly not opposed to an open Web and no one wants to
necessarily exclude an audience -- but I also do not wish to settle for
what we have now.

Lance

P.S. I can't replicate any errors viewing glassdog in Netscape 4.5 (and,
for the record, no, it was designed to work in all current browser
releases) - What error does it report?

On Wed, 27 Jan 1999, Chris Tarabochia wrote:

> Very interesting article! 
> referencing (http://www.alistapart.com/stories/lance1.html)
> 
> To Lance,  I think the only place you are right is that we should keep
> trying to be inovative and keep pushing the design envelope.  BUT,  what
> about people you use the web who are disabled, in someway, that
> makes it difficult to browse the web?
> 
> BTW since you believe that we should be designing to the highest level. 
> Check your Javascript, it even gives an error in Netscape 4.5 or did you
> design for MSIE???  This proves the contradiction to your article.  Sorry.
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 

"Never speak of the monkey again!"

Received on Wednesday, 27 January 1999 12:46:27 UTC