[thelist] accessibility finding: another victory for the visually impaired

Martin martin at members.evolt.org
Mon Aug 28 03:46:49 CDT 2000


Isaac Forman wrote on 28/8/00 5:37 am

>Group finds SOCOG Olympics website discriminatory
_______
SOCOG promises to improve website accessibility 
_______

SOCOG says it will do all it can to make its website available to the 
blind, within reasonable financial constraints.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) has ruled SOCOG 
must make certain changes to its site by the time the Games begin.

HREOC had acted on a complaint brought by 42-year-old blind Sydney man, 
Bruce Maguire.

SOCOG chief Sandy Hollway would not respond directly to the HREOC's 
judgement that SOCOG had not done all it could to make its website 
accesible.

"To a large extent the site we have at olympics.com, will be accesible to 
people in that position," he said.

"I'm very sympathetic to the overall position and we will do as much as 
we can with that site to make it accessible, consistent with it just 
being financially possible to do so."

The Royal Blind Society has applauded the Human Rights and Equal 
Opportunity Commission (HREOC) finding, saying it has tremendous 
implications for blind people around the world.

The director of client services at the Royal Blind Society, Michael 
Simpson, says the decision has wider implications for access to 
information by people with disabilities.

He says it has implications for other websites that have already been 
developed and others which are being developed on a daily basis.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2000/08/item20000828162653_1.htm

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