WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: What is Web Accessibility?

for

From: Sandra Andrews
Date: Mar 23, 2006 11:00AM

Isn't "universal design" about making things accessible to everyone,
including those with disabilities and moms with strollers?

Sandy

On 3/23/06, Kynn Bartlett < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
>
> On 3/22/06, Austin, Darrel
> < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> > > No, web accessibility in a general sense is about disabled
> > > populations.
> > That's the biggest problem with a lot of current accessibility thinking.
>
> No, it's not.
>
> > WAY to many people assume that accessibility issues mean 'accomodating
> > blind people' and fail to see the bigger picture.
>
> While limiting it to blind people only is a problem, so also is the idea
> that we can somehow magically eliminate the concept of people with
> disabilities from "web accessibility."
>
> > My personal definition of web accessibility is:
> > Striving to make more of your content usable for more people (ie,
> > customers) on more devices.
>
> It's nice that you have your own definition, and it's nice you care about
> more devices. But ultimately, web accessibility is about making sure that
> people with disabilities can get access.
>
> There are a multitude of benefits for other people from web accessibility,
> just as curbcuts for wheelchairs also help people with shopping carts,
> strollers, and wheeled luggage.
>
> But the curbcuts weren't put in for moms with strollers; they were put in
> for people with wheelchairs, because the people with disabilities have a
> moral, legal, and ethical right to access. (Moms with strollers DON'T.)
>
> --Kynn
>
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--
Sandra Sutton Andrews, PhD
IDEAL Director of User Support
http://ideal.azed.gov
University Technology Office
Arizona State University