Re: Screen readers - usage stats?

> I think debating, which screen reader to support or which browser is
best
> or even how to write one page which is presentable in all browsers,
is an
> argument that does not serve a constructive direction.  I believe we
need
> to work more on separating content and presentation in the area of
> accessibility and embrace the CSS and XSL technologies.  For what
happens
> when the next device comes to market?  Simple a new CSS stylesheet
for
> that device.

I get the feeling you are not a web designer with a lot of experience
of how things were in the mid 90's. What you are suggesting is a move
towards balkanised sites, code forking and multiple site versions for
specific use cases, the way it was in 1998. This is not what WCAG was
about, and it is entirely contrary to the last five years development
in web design, as we have slowly, torturously moved the entire
industry towards accepting and using web standards.

Why? So we can build one page.

One page. That's the goal, the only solution to avoid disappearing up
your own arse in a morass of browser hacks and conflicting rendering.
I didn't live through all that with web design only to start the whole
thing again with web accessibility.

And anyway, I know CSS very well, and it does not even begin to
address the issues I am dealing with. Some bespoke publishing system
using XML, XSLT and this mod_accessibility thing could, but this is
not widely applicable and is not appropriate to the IT and business
constraints of the project.

I work in the real world with existing sites and real constraints. Web
accessibilty is capable of handling this without all these techie
gimmicks, and in the real world I think technical solutions can only
be a small part of any approach to these dilemmas.

Received on Friday, 16 April 2004 07:16:06 UTC