-Caveat Lector- If you've been wondering how the bastards in Washington were going to silence dissent on the electronic town square, you now have the answer: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTERNET NEWS Handicapped-accessible websites? New regulations may spread to private online businesses ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- By Jon E. Dougherty © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com It's no joke. It's not a rumor. It's not another example of an online urban legend. The government is really seeking to mandate that websites are accessible to "the handicapped." In what many see as a confusing breach of voluntary Internet etiquette and a Pandora's Box into Big Brother online intrusion, the federal government announced a new set of rules last week that will ultimately change the way Americans see, use and build ... websites. An obscure rule buried in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 will soon mandate that all government-operated websites be accessible to handicapped persons, and critics of the measure fear that Sect. 508 of Public Law 105-220 will soon become mandatory for privately run websites as well. In a few months, all government-run sites must comply with the new regulations. By Aug. 7, 2000, any vendor who operates a Website and does business with the federal government must also comply with the rules. Specifically, the regulations state that "individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a federal department or agency to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of the information and data by such members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities." websites "will be required to restructure their content, design and underlying technologies," according to Freedom Forum, which recently completed a study of the new rules. Members of the Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee said for non-governmental sites the rules would be "voluntary," but could be made mandatory if site operators refused to make the necessary changes. The government is expected to release a report next month spelling out the requirements and defining the aspects of Internet publishing that will be included in the changes. "One preview of what the barrier board may publish next month," according to Freedom Forum, "is contained in its own notices, which state that, in addition to conventional html and pdf versions available online, all online information must also be available from the agency via audio text and TTY, as well as 'cassette tape, Braille, large print, or computer disk.'" The standards were initially published in the Federal Register last August. Most committee members helping devise the new standards were representatives of people with disabilities. Those groups represented were the American Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, Easter Seals, the National Association of the Deaf, the National Federation of the Blind and United Cerebral Palsy Association. Three representatives of the computer industry -- IBM, Microsoft and NCR -- were also on the advisory committee. Some of the most common changes recommended for websites include adding technologies so blind Internet users can have a site's text translated into audio or Braille, programs which boost text and graphics for visually impaired users, and "switches that respond to minute movements, eye positions or even mental states." Joseph Farah, editor of WorldNetDaily and host of the Farah News Hour, said he understands the concepts behind making the Internet more user-friendly for impaired people. However he, like many content-heavy website owner/operators, doesn't believe the federal government has any constitutional authority to tell publishers -- online or offline -- how they conduct their business. "I'm sure the federal government would just love attempting to force independent muckraking efforts on the Internet into channeling their precious resources away from investigative reporting into government corruption toward complying with bureaucratic regulations," he said. "I assure you WorldNetDaily will be among the first to challenge such heavy-handed government coercion in the courts by reminding Washington that, in America, we have something called the First Amendment." But not everyone disagrees with the government's plan. Microsoft Corporation has been actively researching and developing products, as well as holding public education conferences which will help webmasters comply with the regulations mandated by the government. "Websites must be made reasonably accessible to people with disabilities to avoid discriminating against them," said Microsoft in a public statement regarding their efforts to create a more accessible Internet. "Accessibility often costs little extra if it is designed in from the beginning." One aspect that some webmasters are questioning is the cost of adding such technology to their sites. WorldNetDaily contacted Microsoft in an attempt to learn what the average site owner might spend on compliance, but they did not return phone calls before press time. Others wonder how they could make their sites more "internationally oriented." Sites such as Free Republic consist mainly of user contributions, either through reposting of press articles or in a chat format. Whether or not the technology exists to convert the thousands of web pages at Free Republic into several different languages represents a problem in time and in ability. Chat sites post messages in real time, therefore a program would have to be developed that would simultaneously translate the text into a number of different languages and, perhaps, post it to a number of different web pages. "It's a mess," said Farah. "Personally, I thought most congressmen had already promised us they weren't going to regulate the Internet in any way, shape or form. Guess they just lied, again." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Jon E. Dougherty writes a daily Internet column and is the co-host of Daybreak America on Catholic Family Radio. He is also the editor of the weekend independent newsmagazine USA Journal Online. He can be reached by email. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "From the rage of today's downtrodden comes the revenge of tomorrow's revolutionary force." Edward Britton ><> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5285/connector1.html Reality Pump: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Reality_Pump2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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