lynx-dev US Gov't mandates hadicapped web access

[Kim DeVaughn]

Busy day ... the 9th Circuit (3 member hearing) upholds relaxation of
crypto export controls, and now the Administration is requiring all
government websites to be more handicapped friendly (and will require
websites of those doing business with the government to also comply
in about a year).  Later, this may well be extended to ALL websites.

I've been expecting something like this for awhile, given the current
political climate in the US, and while I applaude the *intent* of the
access improvements, letting the Feds get their noses under the tent
is something I *strongly* object to, for any number of reasons.

Be that as it may, these new rules and regulations *should* probably
mean that more sites will be required to become "lynx friendly" in the
future.

Attached is the URL of a page that goes into the new requirements in
much greater depth, and has a number of related links to follow.  I've
also included a few relevant excerpts from it.

/kim


>From URL: http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/handicapaccess.html
URL Date: Fri, 07 May 1999 20:42:42 GMT

     New U.S. law requires Web sites to become 'handicapped accessible'

     [...]

     Webmasters, Uncle Sam wants you to change your Web site to make it
     more accessible to those who are blind, deaf and otherwise
     disabled. And for some, it's not a suggestion: it's the law.

     [...]

     The new rules will apply within a few months to all Web sites
     operated by government agencies, the government has announced. By
     Aug. 7, 2000, they will also extend to vendors doing business with
     the federal government. Possibly soon afterward they may extend to
     every Web site posted in the U.S., in the view of at least two
     members of the Electronic and Information Technology Access
     Advisory Committee.

     Members of the federal Web site commission told ZDNet yesterday
     that for non-government-related sites in the U.S., the guidelines
     would be voluntary, but those who do not adopt them could soon face
     new federal rules for all online publishing.

     Under the new law, Web sites will be required to restructure their
     content, design and underlying technologies to allow "individuals
     with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information
     or services from a Federal department or agency to have access to
     and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to
     and use of the information and data by such members of the public
     who are not individuals with disabilities."

     [...]

     Last month, the WAI published its own set of proposed guidelines
     that could be adopted into federal law.

     The first guideline requires Web sites to supply text alternatives
     for all images and graphics.

     "Thus, a text equivalent for an image of an upward arrow that links
     to a table of contents could be 'Go to table of contents'," the
     provision reads.

     A second provision bars the use of color to convey information,
     because "people who cannot differentiate between certain colors and
     users with devices that have non-color or non-visual displays will
     not receive the information."

     Other requirements prescribe punctuation and prohibit using
     multiple languages on the same page, because that can hinder
     translation by Braille readers, discourage the "use (or misuse)" of
     tables and other formatting that "makes it difficult for users with
     specialized software to understand the organization of the page or
     to navigate through it."

     Another provision requires Webmasters to "ensure that moving,
     blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or pages may be
     paused or stopped" and to design all pages so they can be operated
     without a mouse or other pointing device.

     "Interaction with a document must not depend on a particular input
     device such as a mouse," reads the start of this provision.

--eof--