- From: B.K. DeLong <bkdelong@pobox.com>
- Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 15:38:04 -0400
- To: James Craig <work@cookiecrook.com>, Joe Clark <joeclark@joeclark.org>
- Cc: WAI-IG <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
At 10:11 AM 8/25/2003 -0500, James Craig wrote: >I don't know if that's necessarily the case, Joe. Accessibility, and hence >the Web Accessibility Initiative, is about providing access to all. >Historically, the disabled have been overlooked so a major focus of WAI is >advocacy for this group, but accessibility should also include people with >substandard equipment, slow Internet connections, and even people who surf >with JavaScript turned off, for whatever reason. > >Of course I don't have to remind you that many new devices such as mobile >handhelds or phones work without JavaScript, whether the user is disabled >or not. I have to agree. Way back when I started encouraging and teaching accessibility as a part of the authoring process, I moved away from singling out those with disabilities as the only reason one should make a site more accessible. People will only tolerate waving of the ADA and Rehab Act in their faces for so long. I have used the same approach James mentioned above almost to a T. If you add up the number of people who use the Web that have a disability and include those with older browsers or "substandard" equipment, slow Network connectivity and those with JavaScript turned off as well as people utilizing the Web via hand-held devices and various Web-enabled appliances, the number increases substantially. This not only focused on backward-compatibility but future usability as well and really makes people think about what they're doing from the start rather than an afterthought. Thanks. -- B.K. DeLong bkdelong@pobox.com +1.617.797.2472 http://ocw.mit.edu Work. http://www.brain-stream.com Play. http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org Potter. http://www.city-of-doors.com Sigil PGP Fingerprint: 38D4 D4D4 5819 8667 DFD5 A62D AF61 15FF 297D 67FE
Received on Monday, 25 August 2003 15:41:29 UTC