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Re: Proper Markup on Web Pages

for

From: Aaron Cannon
Date: May 13, 2016 10:44AM

I suspect that any attempt to regulate open source projects will not
end well for anyone, not to mention being legally very difficult.

In general, open source frameworks offer what the users demand. As
more businesses are forced or enticed to make their sites accessible,
the more their developers will start expecting that their frameworks
ease the burden of doing so.

Speaking as a developer, I hate to see any regulation imposed upon the
internet, software development, and similar things. I believe that
the reason we have seen so much innovation is at least in part because
most activities have gone unregulated, and the areas that have been,
such as copyright, have been very cleverly worked around via the
various open source and creative commons licenses. But, on the other
hand, speaking as a blind person, I really hate it when I can't use
the sites I want to. So, I'm a bit conflicted. :)

Aaron

On 5/12/16, Brandon Keith Biggs < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Hello Brooks,
> As we have been saying, the problem is not websites and apps, but the
> underlying frameworks that they use. For example, anything using open GL is
> not accessible to blind users unless a whole accessibility framework is
> created.
> So any ADA amendments should target frameworks primarily.
>
> Also, what percentages of the frameworks are open source? It may be
> beneficial for a non profit or something to be created that just goes
> around and adds markup to frameworks...
> Thanks,
>
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;
>
> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Brooks Newton < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> wrote:
>
>> Hey Brandon,
>>
>> Very good point!
>>
>> In terms of "going after" a software manufacturer, be it an open source or
>> private entity, I wouldn't count on any effective remedy under U.S. law
>> to
>> right this wrong at the present. Software manufacturers have largely been
>> given a "pass" on Web accessibility regulation by the powers that be. I'm
>> planning on making a post to this discussion list in the coming days that
>> underscores the need to make software manufacturers accountable as part of
>> the recently announced Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Title II
>> Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SANPRM), which
>> proposes to regulate the accessibility of Web sites, and possibly Web
>> apps,
>> for U.S. state and local governments. We need to rally support for this
>> issue and make our expert opinions clear to the U.S. Department of
>> Justice
>> as they seek input on how to regulate Web accessibility in this country.
>>
>> In terms of voluntary support for making development frameworks
>> accessible, there have been a number of efforts. I'll defer to others on
>> this list to speak to those efforts.
>>
>> More to come later on the recent ADA Title II SANPRM...
>>
>> Brooks Newton
>>
>>
>>
>>