Web Accessibility

Hi
I have been designing web pages for some time and have recently begun a process of updating all web pages I have authored, ensuring that all are accessible.
However I have the following observations to make:

I still cannot find enough information to accurately understand the difference between WAI and WCAG

The websites http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/Overview.html and http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php have lots of information, but there are so many links and confusing cross references that these pages are in fact inaccessible to me. Meaning, I don't know where to start in a meaningful way, and am picking piecemeal through the wealth of information and not being able to structure the way I am learning.

The so called evaluation tools are incredibly expensive, or don't cover all of the issues. I have yet to find one that covers level 3. Also one browser tool so slowed down the opening of new windows that it was almost useless. That leaves me the alternative of checking every page by hand. A massive undertaking.

CSS does not allow at the moment to author pages in some ways that could be done with a table, ( CSS is different in different browsers which is a situation that can almost be laughable if it weren't so heartbreaking for authors like myself who want to move to CSS based designs) but tables take an awful lot of work to become accessible, and don't fit the XHTML validation that I have tried for.

In fact, downloading the icons to display on a website that I have validated against XHTML and CSS, contain elements that break the accessibility rules! I can't get my head round that one!

I think the theory is fine, but I would expect that I would represent an average site author and I believe that 
the standard has come before it is possible to implement the standard easily
the information available is poorly presented which is an accessibility issue in itself
browsers and authoring tools don't fit the standards (some of which have been around for over 7 years)

Therefore I am returning to table based layouts which are quick, easy and allow me to design a page EXACTLY how I want it, and I will hopefully revisit accessibility and other issues some time in the future (20 years) when they have matured and are supported.

I do think that it is significant that if 85% of all websites are breaking the accessibility guidelines and legislation, why has there never been a case of anyone being fined for not making their page accessible? I believe that tells us how much interest there really is in the subject from the poeple who we are supposed to be working hard for.

Regards
Gary Finnigan