Re: Simplicity of Authoring and Accessibility Tools

see comments in line below.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lakespur Roca" <lake@netscape.com>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Cc: "WAI Interest Group (E-mail)" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Simplicity of Authoring and Accessibility Tools



Something we should all remember here is that the Web is not just
liberating for the disabled but for the masses. Ann, you should
not only be commended for your bravery in supporting the general
user but for putting up with the insensitivity of some on this
list.  Yes the majority of people misunderstand the medium and
they will continue to misunderstand it, associating it with things
like print, that they are familiar with. Strangely, print is what
Xerox and Apple based some of their first wisiwig interfaces on
that made the computer so ubiquitous and usable for so many
people. And again print in part by this same use of metaphor lead
the way to making the web so valuable as a communication tool.
dp: It could as easily have gone another way had they not wedded
it to print and the web for me was becoming quite useable before
the invasion of the gui concept.
 Yes there is lots of room for improvement but we should be wary
of the one step forward two steps back possibility.

Changing the tools to create proper HTML and making Style sheets
work in wisiwig editors will be much easier than changing the
majority of people.
dp: "if you build it, They will come!"  Aren't you likely to
change the people if you change the tools?  those who resist the
changes needed now will still resist the changes and so will not
use the tools if they can doge them.

  Web page authoring and browsing should be achievable by every
one even my 5 year old  and I would not expect him to understand
HTML or it's philosophy to create a web page of art and comments
on his favorite things for his class mates and family. As Ann
pointed out the web is becoming a great education tool for schools
and the younger grades are still learning to read should we expect
them to know html and the philosophy behind it to achieve
something accessible. I don't think so. I do however agree that
HTML is not very difficult to learn neither is reading or
multiplication tables yet some still struggle with it.
dp: and some still struggle with driving. I don't think anyone is
advocating that access be denied.  I do think however that a lot
of early intervention is needed.
I know no beast exists yet. But that doesn't mean you can't work
toward the goal with diligence.

Charles it rather sounds like you feel that this is wrong. I don't
really think that you mean that only people who understand should
be allowed to use this medium. Some learning disabilities make it
very difficult to comprehend abstract concepts I don't think they
should not be allowed to publish a web page. Please clarify.
Anne Pemberton wrote:

Charles, Some counties may indeed have the structure you prefer in
place. Ourtaxes are very low, so people end up wearing two or more
hats. We use whatwe have available. But, I suspect you will be
equally horrified to learn that the state ofVirginia has as one of
its instructional standards (for technology) that byeighth grade
each Virginia student will have created their own web page. AnneAt
08:32 PM 1/18/01 -0800, Charles F. Munat wrote:I'm especially
horrified to learn that the county where Anne works letspretty
much *anyone* post to their official site. I think that there is
amisunderstanding among many laypersons that the Internet is kind
of like akiosk. You just post any old notice on it.

Received on Friday, 19 January 2001 13:09:59 UTC