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Re: The Commercialization of Web Accessibility

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From: Holly Marie
Date: Dec 18, 2001 5:43PM


A Few thoughts Susan.

IT may be possible to take something like this and present it in a hands
on tutorial using multimedia.
Now I know that is not fully accessible to others with screen readers
only, but it is more than accessible, understandable and usable to even
larger populations to see and have and hear how it is done. It makes
more sense to see how it works than to read about it, to many people.

Also publish the text only version on the side. Think of Flash, Director
or other interactive multimedia and market it to colleges. I have been
thinking about this one myself, and also a tandem or triad of web sites,
that I purchased over a year ago.

able2access.com
able2access.org
able2access.net
[they are not live yet, but I have been reading and collecting
information on this topic And assisstive and augmentative communication
technology for years] I hope to be teaching a course on this in a
community college Multimedia Communications Department as a special
topic, too.

there is nothing wrong with making money off of a skill that you have,
knowledge you have, and ability you have to connect and reasearch a
topic and then fine tune a delivery to others.

It is helpful, no need to feel guilty and where were all these web
sites, corporations, and even web designers that do not know going to
get help? And where is it stated they need to get help for free?

holly
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: "'WebAIM forum'" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 5:24 PM
Subject: RE: The Commercialization of Web Accessibility


> Be thankful the change in the law has increased market awareness about
> accessibility. OK other people have entered the market but nothing can
> take away Kynn's experience and enthusiasm can it? That's the first
> thing I would suggest was put in the strengths column if he did an
> examination of the strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats of
his
> current situation.
>
> It's great doing things in theory but doing them in practise is
> something else. Anyone can set themselves up as an expert in something
> and appear to others as though they know what they are talking about
> when really they know hardly anything. For example during January last
> year I went off on a complete bunny trail while doing an assignment
for
> uni. I ended up writing a 40 page book on accessibility. It had 5
> sections
> Section 1 - why bother (covering legal requirements in the UK)
> Section 2 - an overview of why different groups need help and what
sort
> of help that is likely to be
> Section 3 - checking a site for accessibility
> Section 4 - practical things to do to make a site more accessible
> Section 5 - where can I find out more
> I was going to hand it in as part of the assignment but then realised
> that if I did that I would lose control of what I had done.
>
> I am definitely no expert and certainly don't have a lot of experience
> but because of what I have read I have been able to put together
> something that is readable. In fact if truth be known I suspect some
> people would recognise certain passages as whole chunks of text were
> literally copied and pasted from websites directly into Word.
>
> I had not learnt to use HTML at that point so I hardly knew what all
> these web sites were talking about when they gave hints and tips. It
> makes a lot more sense now I have got a better idea how to use HTML.
>
> I am now in a quandary I have something that I could use to supplement
> my income so that I could pay off my debts. What do I do with it? I
have
> not exactly written every word myself although I have edited it all
> together so can I truly claim authorship and therefore take all the
> profits should I sell copies. But can I afford to give it away to
people
> that I come across who will find it useful? On the other hand if
people
> find it useful do I have the right to keep it to myself?
>
> At the moment I can print off 40 pages and bind them with a clear
front
> cover, white back cover and a black comb so they look reasonably
> professional. What about having it available to download and either
> giving it away or if it could be organised charging a fee? I have been
> exploring this possibility with other things I have written which have
> fewer copyright issues so I know it is possible. Someone else gets
quite
> a chunk of the cash generated but it's possible.
>
> The thing about charging a fee is that it can give you a greater sense
> of worth in that people are actually buying what you have created. I
> suspect this has something to do with Kynn's situation as I got a
sense
> that he was working hard and yet his work was not being valued in
> monetary terms while he sees others being rewarded. On the other hand
> there are other benefits to be had apart from financial gain but of
> course they do not pay the bills. I for one have appreciated having
> access to an affordable course in accessibility and indeed could never
> have done it if it was much more expensive.
>
> I am no expert at accessibility or developing web sites In fact I
would
> call myself a novice who is improving. However, I have research and
> writing skills which make it easier for me to find out things and
write
> them up than many other people.
>
> I read Kynn's message and thought what on earth do I do now? I don't
> like stepping on toes although I am often more honest than tactful.
>
> Any sensible suggestions or advice on any of this message (or was it a
> book) will be gratefully received.
>
> Susan
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---
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>
>




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