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Re: UNLABELLED GRAPHICS/PHOTOS

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From: Tania
Date: May 23, 2011 10:00PM

IGNORANCE?

A few years back we approached the body that supervises and regulates
communication and multimedia activities in the country about the numerous
inaccessible websites in the country. They said they were not knowledgeable
about accessibility. We got them to agree to a workshop on accessibility and
invited someone from W3C to conduct workshops. At the last moment, they
pulled out and did not send anyone to the workshops. So my conclusion is:
when the regulating body said it is ignorant, the ignorance is by choice.
Indifference is truer.





After years of campaigning, we got the 'DISABILITY ACT'. When I read it, it
was full of loopholes. Recently at a conference, a lawyer commented the act
lacked enforcement clauses. Our Welfare Minister is a lawyer by training. So
is this weak Act created due to incompetence?



There are local banks that do not allow the blind to own ATM and credit
cards. The blind also are not allowed to do internet banking. We complained
to the Central Bank and the Finance Minister as well as approached our MPs-
all to no avail. Isn't that discrimination?



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bevi Chagnon | PubCom" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: "'WebAIM Discussion List'" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 12:24 PM
UNLABELLED GRAPHICS/PHOTOS


>
> Tania, it's ignorance.
> I say that as a Section 508 trainer to U.S. Federal government employees.
> They don't know how an inaccessible document or website prevents blind and
> disabled users from getting the same information as those of us who are
> sighted and abled.
> They don't know how little effort it takes to make a Word document, for
> example, accessible to everyone.
> And their managers and bosses don't know any of this either.
>
> "we have a toothless accessibility act;"
>
> In the U.S., hopefully the forthcoming new standards and guidelines will
> close the loopholes in the existing law and prevent the excuses I've heard
> from webmasters and document specialists.
>
> But I think the greater problem is that governments haven't educated their
> managers and employees about the law, and more importantly about how to
> meet
> the standards.
>
> Lawsuits and formal complaints from blind and disabled users will help get
> the issue on the front burner.
>
> - Bevi Chagnon
>