I can understand how it can be argued that a government organisation or
similar sites should be made accessible but by forcing me to make my sites
accessible is like someone coming to my house and telling me i have to put
ramps on my steps and install a lift for disabled people to get upstairs.
Its my house. If I dont want to install this stuff, i amnt going to.
Not that i dont agree that accessibility should be taken seriously and
should be a part of every good website. I just dont agree that anyone
should be able to sue me for the way i want to program my sites.
James
"Ian
Westbrook To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
\(FDM\)" cc:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ cf-dev ] Website
accessibility in the UK
eam.net>
16/04/2004
13:30
Please
respond to
dev
> I do agree it may be difficult to prosecute larger companies tho...
only from the perspective of the cost of litigation. It's actually _easier_
to prosecute large companies, I would imagine, because they can't argue
mitigating factors (ie cost) as an issue. 'So, Mr Nat West, you're owned by
Royal Bank of Scotland, which made �6.5billion in pre-tax profits last
year.
Why isn't your web site accessible?'...
Ian W
----- Original Message -----
From: "Damian Watson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 1:23 PM
Subject: RE: [ cf-dev ] Website accessibility in the UK
> I don't think that's true though Neil- you can't argue that there's a
> major degradation of experience on anything other than a Flash site and
> why you need a site to be in Flash is in most cases questionable.
>
> If you manage/ own a public space then you have to follow certain
> procedures- if everyone could get away with it then there would be very
> little disabled access etc -- then you would have a two tier exclusive
> situation. The same is true of websites, they are a public space in a
> similar sense.
>
> I do agree it may be difficult to prosecute larger companies tho...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robertson-Ravo, Neil (RX)
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 16 April 2004 13:14
> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
> Subject: RE: [ cf-dev ] Website accessibility in the UK
>
> I would be very very surprised if someone could successfully proceed
> with a
> case and win against a site which does not include or adhere to
> accessibility "guidelines" - agree with Taz, its entirely up to the
> freedom
> of speech and thought how you move forward with a site....
>
> There would be uproar if someone shut a site down as in some cases you
> could
> counter the whole scenario by saying that by making it accessible may
> lead
> to the whole experience being degraded which means able-bodied (or
> whatever
> term you want to use) are being discriminated against.....
>
> It's a no win situation whatever way you look at it.
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Taz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 16 April 2004 13:04
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [ cf-dev ] Website accessibility in the UK
>
> > well, the DRC _is_ the enforcenment body, and if you read the foreword
>
> > of the report Bert Massie, the (disabled) Chair, states quite clearly
> > that
> they
> > will be launching actions against companies, or supporting disabled
> > people who want to do so. They have the power to close web sites down
> > if, after advising about the issues, the site takes no notice/action.
>
> I'll apologise in advance for being politically incorrect, but I can't
> fathom why it should be illegal for a site not to be accessible to every
> user.
>
> Effectively it's more of a problem for the company involved, who may be
> losing a potential revenue stream, but essentially it's up to them who
> they
> target their advertising and services at.
>
> Okay, so you could call it discrimination, but then by the same token
> you
> could argue that book publishers are being discriminatory by not making
> all
> of their books available in Braille or audio. In fact, why aren't we
> getting
> sued for not translating sites into 60 different languages? Hey, that's
> xenophobia isn't it? Chinese sites for all! 2 billion people can't all
> be
> wrong.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I'm all for accessibility for all. And since nearly
> all
> of my work has to conform to RNIB guidelines (among others), I tend to
> build
> in accessibility from the start. But I get the feeling that all this
> political correctness is getting just a little out of hand.
>
> I agree that sites should be accessible to as many people as possible.
> But
> if the Government want to get the electronic UK on the map as the best
> in
> the world, why don't they offer incentives to businesses to implement
> these
> things, instead of the draconian attitude of biting off the hand that's
> paying taxes.
>
> Oh crap! I've gone all serious again.
>
> Nob Giblets!
>
> Taz
>
>
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