- From: Kynn Bartlett <kynn-edapta@idyllmtn.com>
- Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 17:48:39 -0700
- To: "John F. Elmer" <jelmer@ctc.edu>, W3C-WAI-List <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
At 4:40 PM -0700 10/24/00, John F. Elmer wrote: >I am wondering what people's read of what is currently required of >web-sites in terms of accessibilty, from colleges and universities that >support their e-commerce efforts, such as on-line bookstores? I have a >pretty good idea of what would be ideal. However, I am looking for >information on what is currently legally required. I'm not sure if this answer is firmly answerable, as the legal issues tend to be settled by case law -- by people suing and decisions being made -- rather than there simply being a list of what is and is not required. What _is_ required, at least in the US, is that students not be discriminated against and be able to perform the same tasks as other students, regardless of whether a disability exists. That's the principle; the application is trickier. Even the WAI's WCAG document may not be a valid defense in a lawsuit; if it can be proven that someone was unfairly denied access, despite what WAI does or doesn't say, that kind of ruling could set a precident. Likewise, the government can make whatever rules they choose to set, but if, ultimately, someone follows the rules and still denies access to someone who has a right to access, a lawsuit could result -- and the policies could be changed. Note: I'm not a lawyer, I'm just someone who has studied the situation and come to the conclusion that it is _very_ hard to say definitively either "this <draws line in sand> is what's legally required" or "this <draws line in sand> is accessible". So what's my answer? My answer is "do the best you can." If you -can- do better (read: "are able to, given your situation"), then you -should-. --Kynn -- -- Kynn Bartlett <kynn@idyllmtn.com> http://www.kynn.com/
Received on Tuesday, 24 October 2000 20:57:01 UTC