4 ms·

The intent of this is to help people access web content and applications, but it hasn't worked very well in the past, and it won't work very well now, because "

by jt2190 14y ago

The intent of this is to help people access web content and applications, but it hasn't worked very well in the past, and it won't work very well now, because "accessibility" is very hard to define in concrete terms that a programmer can work with. Most organizations cheat and limit the definition to "can be read by a screen reader" and perhaps "can be navigated with a keyboard." Few if any address other accessibility problems, because it's just too damn hard to test for them all. (Reading comprehension, for example.) A much better approach IMHO is to encourage companies to create or open their APIs, and to encourage those who need better accessibility or their advocates to create alternate interfaces to their services. Think of it like a "marketplace of user interfaces". Perhaps instead of passing a law to force existing UI's to change, the government should work with private industry to encourage open APIs.

pyre 14y ago
| "marketplace of user interfaces" Most of which would be used for phishing.
- jt2190 14y ago
  > Most [alternative users interfaces] would be used > for phishing. That's a legitimate concern, but one that I'm sure could be overcome with a little thinking and work. After all, how do companies prevent phishing now?
  - pyre 14y ago
    Currently no one provides an API that allows someone to reskin their e-commerce application.
bgruber 14y ago
As a sighted individual i totally agree with you regarding APIs as the best course. Screenreaders are always going to be, at best, a kludge to let those with visual disabilities use a system expressly designed around the ability to see it. Different means of interaction can provide a much better experience. However, in my interactions with people with visual disabilities, I've come to understand that for many of them, the ability to use the same technology as everyone else is actually quite important. Everybody else uses Windows, why shouldn't they be able to? Everybody else shops on the Amazon website, why not them? To say they should use a separate interface is tantamount to telling them to go to the special grocery store for the blind people. I don't really know that this is a constructive way of thinking, but it's important to consider.
- jt2190 14y ago
  > However, in my interactions with people with visual > disabilities, I've come to understand that for many > of them, the ability to use the same technology as > everyone else is actually quite important. Well of course. Computers are one (if not the) most important tools of our era, and everyone who wants to participate in our technological society needs to use computers in one form or another. But we shouldn't conflate putting computers to work for us with the user interfaces we use to control them. The good news is that as more and more web applications introduce APIs, they're making it easier to change the interface but still use the tool. Companies could be encouraged to focus more their time and energy on supporting those in the community who want to build alternative interfaces for their applications, instead of using that time and energy to defend themselves from lawsuits.

by jt2190 14y ago

pyre 14y ago

| "marketplace of user interfaces" Most of which would be used for phishing.

jt2190 14y ago
> Most [alternative users interfaces] would be used > for phishing. That's a legitimate concern, but one that I'm sure could be overcome with a little thinking and work. After all, how do companies prevent phishing now?
- pyre 14y ago
  Currently no one provides an API that allows someone to reskin their e-commerce application.

bgruber 14y ago

As a sighted individual i totally agree with you regarding APIs as the best course. Screenreaders are always going to be, at best, a kludge to let those with visual disabilities use a system expressly designed around the ability to see it. Different means of interaction can provide a much better experience. However, in my interactions with people with visual disabilities, I've come to understand that for many of them, the ability to use the same technology as everyone else is actually quite important. Everybody else uses Windows, why shouldn't they be able to? Everybody else shops on the Amazon website, why not them? To say they should use a separate interface is tantamount to telling them to go to the special grocery store for the blind people. I don't really know that this is a constructive way of thinking, but it's important to consider.

jt2190 14y ago
> However, in my interactions with people with visual > disabilities, I've come to understand that for many > of them, the ability to use the same technology as > everyone else is actually quite important. Well of course. Computers are one (if not the) most important tools of our era, and everyone who wants to participate in our technological society needs to use computers in one form or another. But we shouldn't conflate putting computers to work for us with the user interfaces we use to control them. The good news is that as more and more web applications introduce APIs, they're making it easier to change the interface but still use the tool. Companies could be encouraged to focus more their time and energy on supporting those in the community who want to build alternative interfaces for their applications, instead of using that time and energy to defend themselves from lawsuits.