[thelist] accessability guidelines - good/bad?

> As James Madison said, if men were angels there would be no need of 
> government. If you look at the screaming that goes on whenever this topic 
> comes up, it is obvious that a large number of people would not create 
> accessible sites unless they were legally compelled to do so. To claim
that 
> voluntary efforts would accomplish this in the face of so much evidence to

> the contrary is simply disingenuous.

Please don't raise a question about my ingenuousness after clipping the part
of my post that specifically addresses the point that you raise. My
paragraph, in its entirety:

"I agree that major web sites should strive for the greatest accessibility
possible. But instead of using the big stick of Federal mandate, I recommend
a more positive approach that encourages businesses to make their web sites
accessible, and software makers to build-in and automate accessibility in
web-dev apps. Non-profits leverage the power of positive public exposure all
of the time to encourage the private sector to donate and take part. Would
this ever achieve full accessibility across the web? Of course not. But it
would do much to advance accessibility without eliminating the freedom of
those who choose not to conform (that used to be something important --
thought I read about it in some founding document somewhere :)."

	I don't have any illusions that a voluntary effort of any kind will
ever achieve full accessibility -- perhaps nothing even close. My point is
that accessibility is one goal -- a highly worthwhile goal -- that must be
balanced against other values: namely, the right of people to make choices
for themselves. In my opinion, there are few things -- no matter how
honorable and praiseworthy they may be -- that take precedence over
individual liberty -- no matter how foolishly it is exercised. That's why I
argue for an active, voluntary effort: it encourages accessibility without
riding roughshod over Constitutionally guaranteed rights (in the U.S., at
least :).

James Aylard
jaylard@equilon.com