David Chittenden <[email protected]> wrote: > So, let's consider what would most likely happen if Apple should be stupid > enough to do what the NFB resolution is demanding, only from Apple. Apple > creates a policy in their App Store which says all apps must be VO > accessible. Considering that this will not be possible with the vast > majority of purely visual graphical games, game developers will leave and go > to the platforms which appreciate them. So, we have already alienated a > large majority of money-making apps.
Someone has finally stated the obvious - I was waiting for that. To reinforce the point, suppose I am an app developer, and it's going to cost me non-trivial programming and testing effort to make my app accessible under a policy of mandatory accessibility. My competitors, writing for other environments, aren't subject to these additional expenses, and therefore have a competitive advantage over me. The effect of regulation (e.g., anti-discrimination laws or government procurement requirements) is to apply the same standards to everyone. If I and my competitors are required to meet accessibility standards by regulation, we can each invest in improving accessibility without being disadvantaged by having competitors who aren't required to do likewise. This is why I think regulatory responses are the fairest and most effective means of ensuring access. In practice, section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the U.S. has been particularly influential: the U.S. government is a large market that vendors within and outside the U.S. are justifiably unwilling to forego - but to access that market they need to comply with the accessibility regulations. General anti-discrimination laws are also effective, but they tend to rely on complaints being lodged and legal proceedings brought in order to achieve redress. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
