Section 508 wouldn't exist if it weren't for WCAG. If you can do Section 508 then step up to the plate and do the remainder. Take the extra step, you'll find it's a lot easier. It simply requires opening our minds to the possibilities.
Regardless of what some say, Flash is not accessible and never will be. Anything that requires a person to use Microsoft technologies has no regard for the needs of the disabled. Joe definitely does do that at times, but he means well. If I'm in a crunch, I'll use WebQA to get my bearings. However, when it comes to in depth reviews on a page by page basis, I never use automated tools. I review the codes and if need be, I change the border of the tables to border="1" so I see how the text lays out. I've been doing accessibility since 1998. Thank you for explaining Canada's rules. I had thought they required AA, but didn't want to err. Sincerely, Lee Roberts http://www.applepiecart.com http://www.roserockdesign.com -----Original Message----- From: J Rodgers [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 7:19 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [WSG] 508?? Actually Canada has to accessibility requirements under any law. The Canadian Government has the Common Look and Feel Guidelines and in there they require WAI AA for all Federal Government sites (government workers in Canada correct me please). http://www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/clf-nsi/index_e.asp Ontario (where I am) has the Ontarian with Disabilities Act (2001) but it lacks any real teeth and doesn't suggest anything specific - for uni's we have to come up with a 'plan' and the community is to keep us to it. For UW I have just been promoting the idea of standard code and accessible design and worked with many students with disabilities to determine what features they would like to see. Luckily our pages are mountains of text and static pages... Students use Google to get around and are relatively happy with our pages even though we have done little to make them accessible in the past. It is more a responsibility to the community that is motivating our move to accessible design. I think (not entirely sure) in Canada there is the wild card - Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I have heard a few discussions about how inaccessible websites violate people's rights in Canada, but to my knowledge no court cases yet. It would only take one court case though, and the tide would shift in Canada. Accessible design consultants are just waiting for that I imagine ;) So how does Section 508 effect us? It doesn't. But it is of particular interest since I have seen a couple of the people that worked on it present at conferences. I am not a huge fan of the WCAG, nor am I a fan of those who preach strict adherence without first providing a guide for those who don't understand. The other problem of validators is annoying as well. I was sitting in Tim Hortons in Toronto with Joe Clark listening to him go on how validators can't tell you want you have done right, only what you have done wrong, but even then they are inaccurate - when I thought, this is madness (and no it wasn't just because Joe was ranting) and I haven't seen anything in the past year or so to make me think otherwise. Jesse On 6/30/04 8:47 AM, "Lee Roberts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jesse, please tell me how Canada falls under Section 508. I realize > Canada falls under our telecommunications acts, but I wasn't aware > that Canada had to comply with Section 508. As I understood it, > Canada's rules, although not totally accepted, required bi-lingual > sites and even more accessibility than Section 508 requires. Please > correct me if I'm wrong; I like to keep up with how other countries are handling the issues. ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ***************************************************** ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help *****************************************************
