Accessibility; It's your problem too!
A work in progress.
I apologise in advance for this work in progress. I should be updating it again soon. In the meantime I hope you find it readable <grin>.
Contents
What does accessibility mean?
Accessibility is becoming an important concept in the western world. It signifies the provision of an appropriate means to access all manner of goods, services, and information for all members of society. Unfortunately, in the minds of many people it signifies a kind of positive discrimination in favour of the disabled. Yet, by definition, accessibility is global. It applies equally to all people.
The Collins English dictionary defines of accessible as:
- accessible
- 1. easy to approach, enter, or use.
- 2. accessible to. likely to be affected by.
- 3. obtainable; available.
Everyone is equal in cyber-space... NOT!
The internet seems to have almost limitless potential for the free exchange of ideas and information. Everyone is equal in cyber-space, or so we'd like to believe. The fact is that the very technology that makes the internet such a wonderful place to play, do research, or whatever else that takes your fancy, has excluded a significant proportion of the society that uses it.
So a few people get excluded, that's simply not your problem is it? Not unless you have ever had a bad Java script crash your browser, or gone to a web-site that can't be navigated because the links are hidden in a frame that is too small to show them. What about those sites that are designed specifically for one browser or another? Who decided that you can't read a certain site if you don't have the latest technology? I have no idea, but I for one don't like that kind of fascism; and I'm pretty sure that most readers feel the same way. The point I'm trying to make is that sooner or later we are all part of that excluded group.
Community spirit
One very important aspect of the internet, for myself and many other people, is the fact that we are part of a community. As such, every person has the chance to make a difference in the world. I can't speak for commercial web-authors because their writing is driven by the needs of their clients; but amateurs like myself, and possibly you, can approach web-authoring with a open mind. We can go as far as we like with creating accessible content.
If you would like to find out more about accessible web-authoring then you can try these links to useful resources.
