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Re: multimedia accessibility a specialist skillset?

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From: Austin, Darrel
Date: Dec 14, 2006 12:16PM

> I have yet
> to find a developer that will second that notion, however.

I'll second it, as I'm sure most folks on this list would. ;o)

The main barrier is that developers are just lazy. They don't care about
accessibiliy or even universal design.

It's not always malicious...a lot of web sites are still being built by
ad agencies where 99% of their mindset is still firmly planted in the
world of print and it's a real struggle for them to comprehend concepts
like universal design.

> Can anyone foresee a time when accessibility, even for rich
> media, will be considered standards based design and not a
> specialist activity?

Media production, in general, is very much a collection of specialties.
I imagine it will always be a specialty skill set just as photography,
copywriting, and the like are all specialties.

The question to ask is perhaps: when will accessibility issues be
brought into the design process early on rather than as the typical last
minute add-on?

I don't have an answer for that, unfortunately. ;0)

-Darrel