CNN is running a piece from PCWorld.Com complaining that Web
sites are locking out the disabled. For example, the article notes that
many web designers leave out image ALT tags, which makes it difficult for web
browsers designed for the blind to read the site. The article claims it is very
easy to make a site compatible for these browsers and that it’s actually a good
business move.
I might take that argument a bit more seriously except that a) CNN does not
bother to include ALT tags for most of its images, including several included
in this story and b) PCWorld.Com uses ALT tags only occasionally and often they
would not be of much help to blind users. On many of their stories, for example,
they have ALT tags included with images but rather than describing what the
images are the ALT tags say something like “Click here for enlarged image.”
Oh yeah, that is going to be a real big boon to blind users.
The bottom line is that contrary to the PCWorld article, making a site both
visually appealing and completely compatible with these special browsers
significantly raises the cost of producing a web site. Legally requiring web
sites to comply with the sort of standards PCWorld mentions (and yes, the U.S.
government is moving toward interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act
to cover web sites) will significantly raise the cost of entry to getting on
the web. Maybe CNN can afford to hire someone to close caption all of its streamed
video content, for example, but I know I would not have the time or money to
do this if I wanted to add multimedia content on my site.
And why should I have to? If I published a magazine I wouldn’t have to put
braille captions on all the pictures to be considered useable. If I make a straight-to-video
movie there is no requirement for me to close caption the video. PCWorld and
others are talking about placing a lot of extra burdens on web publishing that
are simply not there in other forms of publishing.
Certainly on the web making your site accessible to as many people as possible
makes good business sense, but sometimes the extra cost in both money and time
is too high. Just ask CNN and PCWorld.Com.
Source:
Analysis:
Web sites are locking out the disabled. PCWorld.Com, August 7, 2000.