RE: Can ADA be counterproductive (was Re: Legal leg to stand on?)

Regardless of what countries other than the US are legally responsible for,
the concept of accessible websites is the right thing to do.  That is what
we need to communicate to web designers.   The ADA serves the concept; not
the other way around.  

David Sweeney
Texas A&M University
David@stulife2.tamu.edu <mailto:David@stulife2.tamu.edu> 
--When I get bigger, I will have your eyes and you will have my eyes.
--David's 2 year old daughter

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Sophie Latulippe [mailto:lsophie@total.net]
		Sent:	Tuesday, March 23, 1999 8:48 AM
		To:	'WAI Interest Group'
		Subject:	Re: Can ADA be counterproductive (was Re:
Legal leg to stand on?)


		Ok guys!!!   Let me summarize the problem the way I see it.
On the one 
		hand, the ADA is an excellent incentive for people in the
United States to
		make life easier for people with disabilities and I don't
think anybody
		contests that fact.


		The problem lies outside the U.S..  The fact is that you
cannot use the ADA
		outside the US as an incentive to make web sites accessible.
It is where it
		could have a counter-effect, making people feel that, since
the law only
		concerns the US, other people don't have to make any effort
of making their
		web sites accessible.

		 What is, then, the best way to deal with it.  Point the ADA
as an example?
		Or, rather, leaving ADA out, finding incentives that people
of every country
		could relate to.

		I believe that the answer lies somewhere between both
extremes and through
		open-minded discussions...

		Sincerely

		Sophie Latulippe
		Quebec, Canada







		> I wonder,
		>
		> how many of you who rail against the ADA actually have a
disability?  How
		> many of you are unemployed because you are disabled?  How
many of you are
		> denigrated and looked down upon?  How many of you face
condescending people
		> who tell you it is amazing that you can do what you do?
How many of you are
		> disabled and have any understanding of what most people
with disabilities
		> face in their everyday lives?  How many of you ever
experienced not being
		> able to find an accessible restroom?
		>
		> Sincerely,
		>
		> Mike Burks
		> -----Original Message-----
		> From: Brian Kelly <lisbk@ukoln.ac.uk>






		> To: Kynn Bartlett <kynn-hwg@idyllmtn.com>
		> Cc: 'WAI Interest Group' <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
		> Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 8:37 AM
		> Subject: Can ADA be counterproductive (was Re: Legal leg
to stand on?)
		>
		>
		>>
		>>Kynn Bartlett said:
		>>
		>>
		>>> My _guess_ is that you won't be able to use this
approach on them.
		>>> I would suspect that an economic motive would work
better rather
		>>> than a legal one
		>>
		>>Kynn's comments (which I'd agree with - especially as the
ADA is not
		>>relevant to most of the world!) reminds me that I've heard
rumours that
		> some
		>>websites have been removed, rather than made accessible,
when threatened
		>>with the ADA.  Can anyone confirm this?
		>>
		>>Thanks
		>>
		>>Brian Kelly
		>>------------------------------------------------------
		>>Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus
		>>UKOLN, University of Bath, BATH, England, BA2 7AY
		>>Email:  b.kelly@ukoln.ac.uk     URL:
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
		>>Homepage: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ukoln/staff/b.kelly.html
		>>Phone:  01225 323943            FAX:   01225 826838
		>>
		>
		>
		>

Received on Tuesday, 23 March 1999 10:31:16 UTC