Re: Something to think of when you have a problem accessing web sites

Rod,

It may be my post that you were thinking of which was made after not being 
able to access my bills online. Even though I was able to do my netbanking 
with C'wealth, the subcontractor presenting bills had the uncooperative 
website.
My view is that businesses, ngo's and govts who provide interface with the 
public should have an onus to do so in a non restrictive manner.

This is no different than charging someone wanting to pay the rates or license 
a pet admission to Townhall or requiring them to purchase a special set of 
glasses to read to forms.

Accessibility should neither be restricted by requiring the public to use 
proprietary standards which requires an extraordinary investment in software 
for which there is no other legal and/or reasonably priced alternative, or by 
offering the public no other recourse to electronic access to the same 
material other than through a single proprietary software package or group 
thereof

This creates unfair advantages in the community, restricts participation, etc. 
etc......................

I can find work arounds, I have a fair amount of relevant knowledge and can 
work of the problem of accessibility...I imagine most of the folk on this 
list are in the same category. but most everyday people can't for one reason 
or another and many of them also do not have the spare money to purchase the 
latest and greatest version of an operating system and a new enough PC to run 
it. 

Perhaps some politicians in this country should get their thumbs from betwixt 
their bums and their 20 year old political dogmas and do some legislating 
that will have some lasting impact on the community/state/nation and how we 
all will access information in the age of information, e.g. The State of 
Massachussets going to Open Standards, taking 80.000 employee desktops with 
them, in so doing their are also dragging along, reluctantly or otherwise, 
anyone who does business with and/or otherwise interfaces with state offices. 
The hearings leading up to this legislation was broad ranging and also 
highlighted the problems of web accessibility, such as the FEMA websites in 
the wake of Hurricane Katrina which could only be accessed by IE.

I do sometimes get bored by linux advocates not understanding that it is not 
just about linux access, it is about universal information access.

Maybe this belongs on Piss and Moan but its the weeknd and anyway I'm not 
subscribed.


Rod Smart is a darn nice person I don't care what anybody says!
> Just a thought with a previous post, cannot remember when, but it was
> talking about "Web page accessability"
>
> Here is a response I got from "Memolink" about ony supporting Win/IE
>
> "Sorry but the majority of the nation uses Windows and Internet
> Explorer."
>
> Hmmm, Nation, I'm guessing the Billy Gates part of the world
>
> _______________________________________________
> Melbourne Linux Users Group (Australia)
> Edit your settings: http://lists.mlug.org.au

-- 
Cheers,

Rick Miles

Movement stopped is no movement,
and rest set in motion is no rest.

Written on Boomtime, the 10th of The Aftermath, 3171 
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~rickfrm/