[finders] Web Accessibility 2.0

[finders at findability.org]

October 24, 2006: Web Accessibility 2.0

http://www.findability.org/archives/000139.php

I missed the original ruling against Target, but thanks to a post by Alok
Jain on iai-members, I've been catching up. I found an excellent legal
commentary:

"Just last month, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel...ruled that the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to some commercial websites.
The holding was the first of its kind. Unless Judge Patel's ruling is
reversed on appeal, its upshot will likely be that many retail websites - in
particular, those intrinsically linked to companies' brick-and-mortar
operations - will have to start complying with the ADA. However, because
Judge Patel's decision did not reach web-only retailers, it may be necessary
for Congress to revisit the ADA if it wishes to ensure that all web
retailers make their sites accessible."

In other words, the inevitable legislation of equal access to digital spaces
and services hangs like the Sword of Damocles over the owners (and perhaps
the builders) of all the inaccessible Ajaxian sites and rich internet
applications being created today under the aegis of Web 2.0 (please note
that the views of the publisher do not necessarily reflect the views of the
polar bear).

Of course, Ajax and accessibility aren't totally mutually exclusive. There's
plenty of good reading on the topic:

    * Usability and Accessibility with Ajax
    * How to Make Your Ajax Applications Accessible
    * Ajax and Screenreaders: When Can it Work?

In fact, the W3C has announced a roadmap for accessible rich internet
applications, but it's still early in the process and sounds like an awful
lot of work. The good news is that after the Web 2.0 bubble bursts,
designers and developers will be kept busy for years, retrofitting for
accessibility.