Re: The Commercialization of Web Accessibility

       My viewpoint:

             When it comes down to it, the commercialization of accessibility 
will likely do more harm than good. While the providers may profit, they're 
essentially taking it from the hides of their ultimate customers in many 
cases; As soon as sites incur actual cost in being accessible, that cost WILL 
reach the affected customer. Knowing the web, I see accessible websites 
becoming 'premium' (read: Gotta-pay-for-it) offerings very quickly. It will, 
in a sense, become a fee for being disabled....That will likely never get hit 
down by the courts, given their current pro-business orientation, which I 
expect the Bush administration to accentuate.

             On a whole other angle, I also wonder at its overall benefit for 
the ultimate customer, the disabled user; The greatest strides in 
accessibility in the real world were often made by volunteers and straight 
activists. Once profit-seekers got into the mix, progress slowed 
TREMENDOUSLY, and actually seems to have gone backwards in a few cases. I'd 
like for that not to happen here.

       John