>First off, no, it's not possible. The technology doesn't exist today, or >we'd all have self-driving cars already.
It is possible...there's just not sufficient will and money to make it a widespread reality. But that's another topic for another day... Anyway...the first time you are forced to compromise your work in a way that even itches a little, I want you to walk out and leave that pay check behind right there. Continue that walk and wait until you get hungry enough and some of those vaunted "principles" will be tossed aside like so much waste. Like you said, accessibility is *generally* a low-cost proposition. But, in many cases, complete accessibility can drive the cost of a site 500% higher, depending on functionality that has to be adapted. Blind people using websites and blind people driving. The cost is not the same, but the principle is...it's all about the level of accommodation that can be afforded or is appropriate. Believe me when I say that I'm happy when as many people as possible can be accommodated. I just don't get bent out of shape because some people don't care to accommodate others. Rick -----Original Message----- From: li...@webstandardsgroup.org [mailto:li...@webstandardsgroup.org] On Behalf Of Matt Morgan-May Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 6:50 PM To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org Subject: Who's responsible (was Re: [WSG] add to favorites?) On 3/25/09 12:12 PM, "Rick Faircloth" <r...@whitestonemedia.com> wrote: > The correct design (and web standards that are adhered to or not) > is that design for which the client is paying. Sorry, but that just reads to me like a way to excuse slipshod work. It is one thing to figure out any old way to collect the check, and quite another to think out all the angles and produce something that reaches the largest possible audience. I think the latter is far more professional, and all of the people I now work with, and all the ones I think of as successful in web design/dev, sweat those details. I've personally refused jobs before based on the knowledge that accessibility was being left out. So I know it can be done. Whether others would do the same is a question of their own judgment, not their professionalism. > A standard could be imposed on all concerned that would make driving > accessible to the blind...it certainly is technically possible...however, > the cost is simply too high to make that a reality. First off, no, it's not possible. The technology doesn't exist today, or we'd all have self-driving cars already. Though what this has to do with pragmatic accessibility for web pages, which is generally a low-cost proposition for most of what's out there, is beyond me. Making content more accessible is not a boil-the-ocean strategy. Most of the basics for web accessibility take little work, and are easy to integrate into the average dev's everyday tasks. The only time it can be really costly is when it's been ignored the whole time the work was being done. > Likewise (...in that they are both referenced sequentially in one email...) > site owners may be under time and monetary restraints that > prohibit making their websites accessible to all. Or they may just choose > not to...again, it's the boss's choice, not the designer's. So, let me boil this down: web accessibility is like blind people driving. Wow. I think the only thing they may have in common is your willingness to contemplate them as an implementer. Which is fine, in and of itself. I'm not the boss of you. But if you're trying to equate the task of following a few best practices with reinventing the world's transportation infrastructure, well, good luck with that. - m ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org *******************************************************************
