Being Undermined
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- moth
One of my companies clients is being "talked to" by a major third-party site developer, who says the site we have produced is not up to speed with current legislation because we haven't catered for the visually impaired, deaf etc....
They say if they are visually impaired then there would be an option that made all of the text a bigger font. If they are colour blind then the charts will change colours and if they are deaf then there might be voice recognition.
For a standard plc company - this is too much IMO.
And why, if deaf then there might be voice recognition? WTF? Surely they mean blind.
How would you react to this..? Whilst trying to keep the client?
- rasko40
ask them if they see elevators and slopes at every underground station. And while you're there, mention the extra cost and see what they think.
- moth0
Yeah. After ALT tags and Long Description tags and what not - I dont even know HOW to code a site for the deaf.... surely that's a hell of a cost on the off chance that a blind dude will turn up...
I need some research anyway - so if anyone has any links about coding for the blind that would be great.
- Peter0
Hmmm, deaf huh? There is a pretty known sign/gesture with ones middle-finger you could show them.
...or try to milk out some more money by doing whatever they ask for.
- save0
Annoying as fuck!!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/techn…
- rasko40
"It is an environment that could be made more accommodating to disabled people at a relatively modest expense."
- relative to what exactly?
- moth0
Gues they want all sites to look like this: http://www.drc-gb.org/
- moth0
HAHA. And then they use a fucking web cast about their "findings". Not a text transcript in sight!
- rasko40
"In order to listen to the web cast, please make sure you have sound switched on on your computer."
heheh - just incase you weren't familiar with the concept of sound.
- vespa0
do any of you actually know any disabled people?
- moth0
looking into it, I'd have to the mirror the site in vxml... It would have to be hand coded throughout...
- save0
yes
- moth0
Yes. My friend Dan. Saw him at the weekend and he's got a degenerative condition with his eyes that will eventually leave him blind....
Guess I should ask him - being a graphic designer too.
- vespa0
and have you ever let them know how inconvenient it is for you to design stuff they can use?
sounds like the main problem is your employer not getting you trained up on the skills you need. Soon it is going to be illegal not to have accessable versions of sites, so you are going to hear more and more about it.
Your employer would do well in spending some money on training for you to get those skills up to scratch. Then they can charge it to the clients (who are going to be fined if they don't have accessable sites).
- nessdog0
During my time working on some cd-roms aimed at kids with learning disabilities, I've met a fair few 'handicapped' kids that use the internet. But I guess it depends who the site is aimed at.
- moth0
How can they fine a company for that? It's stupid. Before the internet Annual Reports were not printed in brail???!
And what about my site? Will I get fined for putting an art piece?
It's PC gone mad again... I despute the fact we 'should'... It's bullshit. It's just another infringment...
- Ohood0
I makes sense that these sort of rules should apply to information / data driven sites, etc.
I am not up to speed on all the rules, but if it is required of individual sites such as personal ones, I would have thought it should be more of an optional guidelines kind of thing.
- vespa0
ok sorry it will be for government sites or any sites that should be accessable to the general public. Educational, public institutions etc. if you don't want blind people to be able to see your site then i doubt you should be worrying about it.
You could get great press from figuring out a way to translate visual art into art for blind people tho! Instead of getting pissed off about having to be pc turn it on it's head and get something interesting out of it...?
- Ohood0
"You could get great press from figuring out a way to translate visual art into art for blind people tho!" - Vespa
I totally agree there, that'd be very interesting.
- save0
that's impossible...
- moth0
I wonder if that includes PLC's?