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Re: Corporate Social Responsibility

for

From: Jim Thatcher
Date: Oct 18, 2004 7:57AM

As another 37 year IBM'er - there the name is dropped; I disagree with Bob
when he said: "Social responsibility is never a part of the discussion."
When IBM started the Special Needs Systems organization (which was renamed
the Accessibility Center only recently) to make IBM Screen Reader a product,
and a year earlier when it started the National Center for People with
Disabilities, "social responsibility" was definitely part of the
conversation. It is that social responsibility which laid the groundwork for
- even made possible - IBM's current focus on accessibility within the
company.


Jim

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

-----Original Message-----
From: bob [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 6:38 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Corporate Social Responsibility


glenda wrote:

> Has anyone developed a 'corporate social responsibility' case for Web
> accessibility [or know of one]? I need to create one by Tuesday.
>

I've been roaming these haunts for several years and not found the case
you seek. Quite the opposite. Even when presented with the case that
corporate revenue opportunities can be increased by nn% (varies) will
firms even begin to pay attention. Perhaps I'm too skeptical, but I see
corporations as caring about profitability first and social
responsibility only when they can do it at minimal cost or impact to the
bottom line. On the other hand, accessibility improvements are
relatively expensive (to retrofit to existing content), not fitting the
mold for social responsibility.

Before you discount my views as anti-corporate, I'll mention my
experience is 37 years with one of the world's largest computer
manufacturers (nbr 8 on Fortune's list). The firm has a very enlightened
view toward accessibility and supports it strongly, both for its
external web presence and its intranet. Executives at the highest levels
can make the case for accessibility as well as any of our contemporary
advocates. Yet in the end, it comes down to one reason: accessiblity is
good for business. Social responsibility is never a part of the discussion.

Bottom line:
- Internet accessibility brings more customers
- Intranet accessibility makes it easier for employees with disabilities
to get their work done ... using their abilities, not their disabilities.

Best wishes for success. Let us know how it turns out.

--
Bob Easton

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