- From: Steve Carter <steve@juggler.net>
- Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 14:32:56 -0000
- To: "wai-ig list" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Hi David, From: "David M. Clark" <david@davidsaccess.com> To: "'Steve Carter'" <steve@juggler.net>; "'wai-ig list'" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> > However, when you say: > > > I'm being paid to educate. I'm on this list to be educated, not > > attacked. > > It is analogous to doctor claiming to be a seasoned professional (with > commensurate rates), while he/she is still completing his/her > internship. I must admit I'm not fully able to understand your standpoint. There's a sort of 'chain of command' as I see it. At the top are those who dedicate their energies to activism and idealism, and are changing the actual meaning of accessibilty and changing the way governments treat the matter. You might be one of these. At the very bottom are folks who have "maintain department's web presence" at number 14(c) on their job description. They must keep the department's web site up-to-date but not at the expense of allowing the stationery cupboard to run out of staples. It's quite a lot more complex than this, but it's a good enough analogy. My role is more as a translator and communicator than anything else. I have an excellent degree in computer science and experience of both public and private sector environments, which allows me to decipher the various jargons and hidden agendas and mediate between the technical, idealogical, practical, political and personal spheres to effectively give the folk at the bottom of the chain access to the results of the labors of those at the top. I don't need to understand everything about accessibilty because those at the top (you guys) have kindly drawn up the WCAG10 and I don't need to understand all the politics and law because those in command at the university have fixed their goal. As for commensurate rates, I am not making a 'fast buck' if that is your worry: of all the bucks I have made in my life, this is a relatively slow one. The university is not paying me all that much and they are getting excellent value for their money. I even wear a suit on the training days :-) They are getting access to the guidelines and translation of the techniques, explained patiently, sometimes painstakingly, to the people who need to know them, along with a little healthy evangelism to motivate the troops. They are not setting up a 'department of accessibility research' and I am not trying to replace the role of the w3c. I leave that to M$ :-) Hope this answers your concerns. Regards, Steve. :-)
Received on Tuesday, 12 February 2002 09:34:18 UTC