E-mail List Archives

You are here: Home > Community > E-mail List Archives > View Thread

Thread: Question regarding Canadian ODA

Number of posts in this thread: 5 (In chronological order)

From: Glenda
Date: Wed, Sep 15 2004 4:32PM
Subject: Question regarding Canadian ODA
No previous message | Next message →

I sent the following to the
email provided on the ODA site and it bounced back. I'm hoping someone
here knows:

I am preparing a course on
Web accessibility and am including a section on the status of Web accessibility
in Canada. I will include the ODA's clause:

Government internet
sites
6. The Government
of Ontario shall provide its internet sites in a format that is accessible to
persons with disabilities, unless it is not technically feasible to do
so.
I am
wondering if any guidelines or standards have been adopted that specific how to
make websites accessible, as this clause seems rather vague. Does
this clause also cover Government Intranet sites? Thanks,

Glenda Watson
Hyatt
Soaring Eagle
Communications

From: julian.rickards
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2004 8:53AM
Subject: Re: Question regarding Canadian ODA
← Previous message | Next message →

It is
my understanding that intranets are supposed to be ODA compliant but our
Management Board has not yet required this.

Off
The Record: There are projects funded by our government for web sites developed
by outside contractors. If the work was done internally, ODA and French Language
translation would be required but if the work is for an external web site, the
government department that is hiring the contractor does not need to enforce
either. This escape clause pisses me off (sorry for the
language).

As to
the ODA email address, the ODA Committee web site was developed by an outside
contractor, perhaps contact her.

Jules
-----------------------------------------------
Julian Rickards A/Digital Publications Distribution
Coordinator Publication Services
Section, Ministry of Northern
Development and Mines, Vox:
705-670-5608 / Fax: 705-670-5960

From: Glenda
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2004 4:49PM
Subject: Re: Question regarding Canadian ODA
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi
Jules,
I understand your frustration. It is as if the
governments write these policies so that they can say "look what we're doing for
people with disabilities", but then they don't implement their own policy.
Its like what is the point? From my understanding, the BC Government is
doing the same thing. We need a big legal case on Web accessibility, not
that the Human Rights Code has much bite. Anyway, assuming the ODA
is followed, do you know how "Web accessibility" is define, ie Priority 1 and 2
or whatever?? For this course I am developing, I am looking for
Canadian examples of what IS being done, hoping to create a need to follow what
others ARE doing. May be easier said than done.
Glenda

From: julian.rickards
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 7:03AM
Subject: Re: Question regarding Canadian ODA
← Previous message | Next message →

Sorry
for the delay in responding: I was at the TOevolt (<A
href="http://toevolt.org">http://toevolt.org) conference this weekend and
took yesterday off.

Regarding Priority level: I know we were expected to shoot for Priority 2
but I wasn't certain if that was the standard for the Gov't. However, at the
conference, I met the person in charge of setting priority levels for the gov't
and it is 2.

Jules
-----------------------------------------------
Julian Rickards A/Digital Publications Distribution
Coordinator Publication Services
Section, Ministry of Northern
Development and Mines, Vox:
705-670-5608 / Fax: 705-670-5960

From: Glenda
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 2:51PM
Subject: Re: Question regarding Canadian ODA
← Previous message | No next message

Thanks Julian. If anyone else knows what other
provinces [besides BC and Ontario] are doing in terms of Web accessibility,
please let me know. Cheers,
Glenda