WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Web Analytics

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From: deborah.kaplan
Date: Apr 9, 2012 7:37PM

Randy, I agree -- not in terms of this specific issue, for which I have no particular opinions, but in the general sense that

> One cannot imagine the number of times that I get caught right smack in the
> middle of the crossfire between [people with different]
> disabilities in regards to their thoughts how accessible websites should be
> design.

As an accessibility professional, I try to design for everybody, but as a person with disabilities, I am of course primed to see my accessibility need (hands-free computer use) first. With websites, the needs difference between the primary group people think of when they think "web accessibility users" (which seems to be pretty universally screen reader users) and hands-free use has been marked, but not necessarily in conflict. It's more obvious for me in mobile design, where screen reader accessibility and hands-free accessibility have been so far met in completely conflicting ways.

It's good to remember that people with disabilities have needs, if anything, more heterogeneous than the needs of the able-bodied population. Even within the limited screenreader population, the WebAIM screenreader survey results remind us that there is no typical screen reader user.

(I was reminded of this yesterday when I was reading an article in which autistic self-advocates expressed anger with the type of people-first labels -- eg. "people with autism" -- that many other disability self-advocacy groups have spent years fighting *for*. Different disabilities, different needs.)

-Deborah