DC Night Out

The recent NFB vs. Target settlement once again brings out a viewpoint and claim by some that accessibility should only be done at the whim of businesses, that accessibility should be voluntary, and that the nations blind should not be able to expect accessibility on the web even though since passage of the ADA businesses have had to make a number of accessibility changes to accommodate other disabilities. A textbook example is that a new shop or restaurant cannot open today if it does not provide accessibility for people in wheelchairs. In other words, it must have a means of entry and exit besides steps and probably some other technical details in its construction.

I asked them…where is the disconnect? What good is a civil rights law if its provisions are voluntary? What if all the provisions in the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, and other laws were voluntary?

I don’t think some of the crowd understand that with the passage of the ADA it was the intent of Congress that people with disabilities, including people who are blind, have a right and an expectation to be able to enjoy full participation in society. We don’t just have this right “if corporate America feels like it.” This is not a charity kind of thing, or something you just do if you feel like doing a good deed. Its a fundamental right. call it an entitlement if you want too.

this right or entitlement isn’t for some half baked second or third class citizenship status, the right or entitlement is for full first class citizenship! In this arena that means the right translates in to an obligation on the part of web developers in business to build accessible web sites from the get go. No, not 3 or 5 years after the site launches. No, not only a few special pages that you sometimes update if you feel like it. No, you don’t just have your support department tell us just “thanks for your suggestions,” and then ignore us.

There are many resources that corporate America can use to train their internal staff to develop and test for accessible web pages. There are many organizations, like the NFB and many others, that would be glad to be hired to either provide training or literally work alongside corporate America’s developers to fix their broken web pages. Again, similarly, there are many organizations that would be glad for you to hire them to install a wheelchair rampe or an elevator in your facility for those with physical disabilities. There are organizations that would be glad for you to hire them to provide closed captioning for the deaf or audio description for the blind.

The blind, and this nations disabled, are not bashful or shy about exercising these fundamental rights. So to answer my own question, the disconnect is that people do not understand the concept that these are fundamental inalienable rights! For whatever reason, people still in 2008, 18 years after the passage of the ADA, still think accessibility is some kind of voluntary charitable thing you do only if you feel like it, and maybe only if you don’t have to pay for it.

I have tried to explain this, and maybe commenters can explain it in a different way that makes more sense. Often there is more than one way to explain a concept. You can also click the Digg link in this post to read the comments on Digg that inspired this creation.

read more | digg story

The recent NFB vs. Target settlement once again brings out a viewpoint and claim by some that accessibility should only be done at the whim of businesses, that accessibility should be voluntary, and that the nations blind should not be able to expect accessibility on the web even though since passage of the ADA businesses have had to make a number of accessibility changes to accommodate other disabilities. A textbook example is that a new shop or restaurant cannot open today if it does not provide accessibility for people in wheelchairs. In other words, it must have a means of entry and exit besides steps and probably some other technical details in its construction.

I asked them…where is the disconnect? What good is a civil rights law if its provisions are voluntary? What if all the provisions in the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, and other laws were voluntary?

I don’t think some of the crowd understand that with the passage of the ADA it was the intent of Congress that people with disabilities, including people who are blind, have a right and an expectation to be able to enjoy full participation in society. We don’t just have this right “if corporate America feels like it.” This is not a charity kind of thing, or something you just do if you feel like doing a good deed. Its a fundamental right. call it an entitlement if you want too.

this right or entitlement isn’t for some half baked second or third class citizenship status, the right or entitlement is for full first class citizenship! In this arena that means the right translates in to an obligation on the part of web developers in business to build accessible web sites from the get go. No, not 3 or 5 years after the site launches. No, not only a few special pages that you sometimes update if you feel like it. No, you don’t just have your support department tell us just “thanks for your suggestions,” and then ignore us.

There are many resources that corporate America can use to train their internal staff to develop and test for accessible web pages. There are many organizations, like the NFB and many others, that would be glad to be hired to either provide training or literally work alongside corporate America’s developers to fix their broken web pages. Again, similarly, there are many organizations that would be glad for you to hire them to install a wheelchair rampe or an elevator in your facility for those with physical disabilities. There are organizations that would be glad for you to hire them to provide closed captioning for the deaf or audio description for the blind.

The blind, and this nations disabled, are not bashful or shy about exercising these fundamental rights. So to answer my own question, the disconnect is that people do not understand the concept that these are fundamental inalienable rights! For whatever reason, people still in 2008, 18 years after the passage of the ADA, still think accessibility is some kind of voluntary charitable thing you do only if you feel like it, and maybe only if you don’t have to pay for it.

I have tried to explain this, and maybe commenters can explain it in a different way that makes more sense. Often there is more than one way to explain a concept. You can also click the Digg link in this post to read the comments on Digg that inspired this creation.

read more | digg story

The National Federation of the Blind and Target announced today that they have reached a $6 million settlement of a class action lawsuit regarding access to the Target.com Web site by blind people. In addition, the NFB will certify the Target Web site once agreed upon improvements are completed in early 2009.

read more | digg story

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