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Is email accessible?

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From: Terrill Thompson
Date: Apr 24, 2009 6:05PM


We talk a lot in the web accessibility arena about the importance of
structure (e.g., HTML headings, list elements, etc.) in order to communicate
organization and facilitate navigation, which is especially helpful for
screen reader users. Since plain text email has none of this explicit
structure, and is sometimes downright unwieldy when it contains many layers
of quotes within quotes within quotes, I find myself wondering: Is this a
technology whose time has come? Should we all be moving to web-based forms
of communications? Or do the benefits of plain text email outweigh its
shortcomings?

Thanks for any thoughts or insights.

Terrill Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
DO-IT, Accessible Technology
UW Technology Services
University of Washington
<EMAIL REMOVED>
206/221-4168