WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: No decision from the Appeals court

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Sep 29, 2004 8:59AM

These are the kinds of thoughts we heard during the debate and after the
signing of the original ADA, the law you can blame for curb cuts, from which
we all benefit. In the case of ADA, technologists, architects, advocates and
others met and drafted the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) which have
just recently been updated 10 years later. These work; the interested
parties join in to make the world a better place for everybody.

The same is true for the effect of Section 508. The Accessibility Standards
(based largely on WCAG 1.0) from the Access Board serve as guidance for
building an accessible web. Though 508 only applies to federal agency
purchases, some companies, like IBM where I worked for 37 years, and where I
led the accessibility effort, decide to accept accessibility as a standard
for their IT development, rather than a separate plan for federal agencies.
Sure they have to keep working on it - just as on usability and security.
But the products change and everybody is better off. In no way is IBM alone
in that view. I am sure the force of law is what brought about the change.

And it isn't a question of "if the US passes such an act" - we have one, the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), - 14 years old and a piece of
legislation that we can all be proud of - especially on this list. The only
question arising in this thread is whether or not the ADA applies to the
Web. Some think it does, including the Attorney General of New York, and the
Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. I do too. One judge in a
District Court in Florida, thinks not. That's the score. Stay tuned.

Jim

Accessibility Consulting: http://jimthatcher.com/
512-306-0931