- From: Charles F. Munat <chas@munat.com>
- Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 13:28:53 -0800
- To: "'Kynn Bartlett'" <kynn-edapta@idyllmtn.com>, "'David Poehlman'" <poehlman1@home.com>, "Bruce Bailey \(E-mail\)" <bbailey@clark.net>
- Cc: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Kynn wrote: "I'm not sour at all! I'm very optimistic about web accessibility, I just feel that many on this list need a good healthy dose of reality because so many of the "demands" I see coming from this list (and others within WAI) simply won't fly in the real world, and we risk winning the battle but losing the war. "If I seem "sour", it's only because I have to take the brunt of negative feedback from people who disagree with me, as most other people who present the realist viewpoint have been chased away or asked shut up already." Dear Kynn, I love it when you say things such as "I just feel that many on this list need...." As if we don't know who you're talking about. As the person most likely to disagree with you (and the most vocal), I must be at the top of that list, the ringleader of that group of people that can't seem to grasp reality, though you've certainly bent over backwards to teach us. We must be slow learners. It's so much safer to speak of us in general terms, isn't it? After all, if you named names you'd have to provide evidence to back up your claims that we're unrealistic, wouldn't you? Instead, you can just make blanket pronouncements about our lack of vision. In a previous reply to you, I stated some of my qualifications. Of course, you couldn't be troubled to reply to that post either on or off list. So I'll restate them here: I derive 100% of my income from building web sites for companies and individuals. Do you? My clients have included small business owners, corporations, and governments. I've built sites for restaurants, real estate agencies (in foreign countries, no less), publishers, utility companies, health practitioners, and even a record label. I've also worked with interns and college students (some of them disabled), participated in a dozen listservs, lectured on accessibility, etc. And I've discussed accessibility issues with dozens of other web site developers. I'm sure that all these clients and associates would be shocked to discover that they are not part of the real world. I've always found a way to keep my clients happy and to meet their needs without sacrificing accessibility, even if it meant that I wrote an alternative page for free. Similarly, I deal with complaints about accessibility issues by pricing myself so competitively that clients can't refuse. I've never had any complaints about the quality of my work. What I haven't done is plug myself or my work repeatedly on this list, so those who know me do so only by my positions on various topics of debate. Perhaps people like Bruce Bailey, David Poehlman, and others who disagree with you would be willing to post brief bios of themselves so we can see how disconnected from reality they are, too. It's really a cheap shot to keep painting everyone who disagrees with you as unrealistic and too stupid to see that we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Here's how it works... When one of us gives an interpretation of the guidelines that conflicts with the way you want them to be read: 1. That interpretation is immediately classified as "strict," even if it is simply taking the checkpoint at face value. 2. That person is described as engaging in "tag-level accessibility." He or she can't see the big picture (but you can), can't tell the difference between accessibility and the guidelines (but you can). Could it be that this approach is the cause of the negative feedback you receive? Is it possible that professionals dedicated to accessibility might not be receptive to being called ignorant, unrealistic, closed-minded, and, by implication, stupid? If you think that you're going to win any converts among us by calling us names, I think you're mistaken. But then maybe this isn't about convincing us. Maybe it's about solidifying your credentials as a master of realpolitik. Maybe it's really about selling yourself as a paragon of moderation and restraint regarding accessibility. If so, you're undoubtedly succeeding. Bye, Kynn. I hope you make a lot of money out there in the real world. It was nice having you here for a while. Sorry we couldn't keep up. Charles F. Munat Seattle, Washington
Received on Wednesday, 20 December 2000 16:22:58 UTC