Landmark ruling in Target case
by Gavin Dale
Andrew recently came across an extremely interesting case that really got me thinking: Target, an online retail store, is being sued as their website is inaccessible to blind customers. A motion to dismiss the case was rejected and the case is set to have huge implications for websites in the United States. The section 508 legislation ensures that all US government sites are accessible to disabled persons, how long until this reaches private companies? Read the full article here.
So who must these sites be accessible to? Adobe, makers of the Flash plugin, sum it up well:
• a person is blind
• a person with a mobility impairment
• a person with low vision
• a person who is colour blind
• a person who is deaf
• a person with a cognitive disability
Interestingly enough, this presentation isn't accessible.
And how do we make sites accessible? The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) sums this up well with their 10 quick tips.
Their last point, validate your site, is apparently something that is rarely used in South Africa. But it must be pointed out that these validation tests are not the be all and end all to determine whether a site is accessible or not. The Quirk site has two unavoidable validation errors relating to its cms system. But it can still act as a yardstick and it is still an important test to do for one's site (and not to mention a highly enjoyable experience when you pass both the html and css validation tests).
In South Africa, with over 4 million people being disabled, accessibility is an issue we as web designers and developers have to consider in our work. It is going to take time and training but also a change in attitude. Maybe with the continued work of organisations such as the Digital Forum, accessibility will become an integral part of web design in South Africa.
Comments
post a commentLove the Rant Jason! The SK site looks impressive but lacks in most other departments. I also wonder how in tune they are to the web. If they're savvy they'll pick up your comments in the next few hours. Lets see if they are listening to their customers. Ster Kinekor, if you read this, let us know by commenting. Show us that you do in fact care :)
Posted by Rob on 2006/09/14
Savvy? Any web design agency that doesn't have a blog ain't web savvy. To see Tim actually try to fight his fight on the blogosphere without somewhere to fully explain himself - I.E. his blog, is crazy. It's like trying to get into the movies with a coke can you bought outside the cinema... CRAZY! :-)
Posted by JBagley on 2006/09/15
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Thats just the thing here in SA... Money speaks before accessibility and "sensibility". Take Sterkinekor for example. With over 1.5 million movieclub subscribers, you would think they would take the time to research their site / do some market research, before designing and redesigning their site. It just gets more and more flashier the more money they throw at it. But does it help the hundreds of thousands of dial-up users on 800x600 screens? They're more than happy to have a "disabled" person come and watch a movie, but don't think about buying your tickets online... Those sites I validated are all fat cat boardroom members that get to decide what goes where. Either that or they are too stingy to hire decent web designers, and let kids that have never heard of firefox, design their non-accessible sites. It's such a shame in SA... the folks that could make a difference, and help our growing web presence in the world, are the exact people who are slowing it down, with inaccessible, non-validating sites. :-)
Posted by JBagley on 2006/09/14