SIGIA-L Mail Archives: SIGIA-L: FW: Common Benefits of ADA Acce
SIGIA-L: FW: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance (Summary).
From: ringerd_at_wellsfargo.com
Date: Thu May 03 2001 - 14:31:05 EDT
I would like to take this time to thank everyone who participated in this
discussion. Thanks to your input and references, I was able to tap into a
great number of resources for our research. This information will prove
invaluable over the coming months. Key comments in the responses have been
reformatted in BOLD for easy skimming.
If anyone has additional comments or resources, PLEASE continue to send them
to me. I will update the group at a later date with my findings and
additional questions. Continue to respond to me OFFLINE.
Now I would like to summarize the responses I got.
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From: Antoinette Arsic [mailto:antoinette.arsic_at_eer.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 10:10 AM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Cc: sigia-l_at_asis.org; saylordj_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: Re: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
The government is required to do it.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0101/012501p1.htm
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From: Elisabeth Paine [mailto:epaine_at_ImageWks.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 11:30 AM
To: sigia-l_at_asis.org
Subject: RE: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
My cynical side says: "Avoid getting sued".
Our regular coding practices usually hit Level 1 Bobby compliance as a
matter of course. This is fairly new - we researched what it would take and
just quietly changed our standards to accommodate.
So far we haven't had any clients who have been altruistic enough to spend
the money or agree to the constraints of higher compliance. Government or
non-profits are compelled by law, but the government and non-profit clients
are often on a really restricted budget. They usually just want minimal
compliance too.
I imagine that eventually it may well be mandated by law for everyone. If
you are building a big complex site, it might be more strategic to build it
so as to ease retrofitting when the time comes.
Elisabeth Paine
Customer Experience Strategist
Image Works
207-773-1101 ext. 106
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-----Original Message-----
From: Surla, Stacy [mailto:SSurla_at_aspensys.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 11:47 AM
To: 'ringerd_at_wellsfargo.com'
Subject: RE: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
Diana,
I'm one of the ADA 508 contacts in my company, and I'd be happy to give you
any assistance I can. However, at Aspen we don't have to prove that
accessable design is good for everyone, since we have government contracts
and must comply with the new standards from a contractual standpoint, if
from nowhere else. Most of our 508 efforts are focused on HOW to be
compliant, not whether or why. Still, I have come across a few resources on
the web that may address the why, and here are a few:
http://universalusability.org/definition/agenda.html
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/dev/reasons.htm
http://trace.wisc.edu/world/gen_ud.html
~Stacy
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==
From: Keith Instone [mailto:keith_at_instone.org]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 12:18 PM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: Re: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
"Universal Usability" (http://universalusability.org/) has that basic
premise.
Keith
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==
-----Original Message-----
From: Christoper Frey [mailto:freyce_at_umich.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 12:33 PM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: ADA benefits
Hi,
I'm a lurker on the IA listserv, but your question reminded me of an
influential article I read in the intro "Use of Info" course at U-M's
School of Information. It and ensuing discussions showed that in many
cases, designing for disabilities benefits EVERYONE because in some way,
we are all "disabled" (imperfect vision, strength, coordination, hearing,
etc.)
An example is the hook-style door handle. Supposedly, it was originally
designed to help those in wheelchairs, but ended up being far easier for
everyone. Conversely, more able-bodied people tend to "put up" with bad
design because they can easily find work-arounds (through better reflexes,
coordination, etc.) that others may not be able to replicate.
(Perhaps: just because something is usable does not mean it has not been
designed poorly!)
Here's the article:
Thirty-Something (Million): Should They Be Exceptions?
Gregg C. Vanderheiden
Trace Research and Development Center
Waisman Center and Department of Industrial Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/30_some/30_some.htm
Good luck!
Chris Frey freyce_at_umich.edu
University of Michigan School of Information
MSI 2001 Archives and Records Management
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======
-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie Carter [mailto:lcarter_at_webmethods.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 1:17 PM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: RE: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
I agree with what you've said here. You might try searching the archives of
the CHI-Web list.
http://www.acm.org/archives/chi-web.html
I know this topic has come up a lot there.
About CHI-Web:
http://www.acm.org/sigchi/web/chi-web.html
I can't wait to see the summary of what you find.
*********************************
Leslie E. Carter, Ph.D.
Sr. Usability & Design Engineer
webMethods, Inc.
lcarter_at_webMethods.com
703-460-6057
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-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Gardner [mailto:suncarp_at_operamail.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 11:05 AM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: Re: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
Diana,
The first three links that follow are articles that have some numbers of
users that are affected by less than accessible websites. The last three
have many links to useful resources, and more numbers, related to
accessibility issues.
I am currently working on a paper that will act as a disabled user's guide
to the web, and more specifically federal information on the web. It will
include a short history of related regulation and the steps taken for
redress of grievances etc. If you are interested I can send you an
electronic copy of the paper when I finish.
-Dan Gardner
MLIS Candidate
University of Maryland
'Disability Divide':
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,16236,00.html
'Handicapped access' hits the Web':
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2243282,00.html
'Is the Web Truly Accessible to the Disabled?':
http://www.cnet.com/specialreports/0-6014-7-1530073.html
'Is your site accessible?':
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/web-acc.html#resources
Web Accessibility Initiative Resources:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/Resources/
Federal IT Accessibility Initiative:
http://section508.gov/
US Dept. of Justice Section 508 Homepage:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508home.html
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-----Original Message-----
From: Frishberg, Leo [mailto:leo.frishberg_at_VideoTele.com]
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 9:15 AM
To: sigia-l_at_asis.org
Subject: RE: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act a sweeping piece of legislation
originally focused on architectural barriers, but includes a wide variety of
(often conflicting) requirements for reducing barriers to access.
Note that the term "disability" does not mean handicapped in the sense of
*permanent* physical or mental "injuries". The term suggests any condition
that reduces the ability of an indvidual to peform a task as well as they
could under non-disabling conditions. Consider the child care giver, hands
occupied with an infant, pushing a stroller / pram, and fumbling for keys.
The law can be interpreted to accommodate this individual's "disability",
hence expanding its benefit to the more traditionally "able bodied" among
us.
_______________________________________
Leo Frishberg-Human Factors / Information Architect
(via Usability Architects, Inc.)
VideoTele.com
1 (503) 594-1349
1 (503) 750-6007
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==
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Gardner [mailto:suncarp_at_operamail.com]
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 1:16 PM
To: ringerd_at_WellsFargo.COM
Subject: Re: SIGIA-L: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
Diane,
Here is the URL for a Harris Interactive poll, THE HARRIS POLL #30, June 7,
2000 "HOW THE INTERNET IS IMPROVING THE LIVES OF AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES"
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=93
Good luck.
Dan Gardner
___________________________________________________________
by Humphrey Taylor
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ringer, Diana P.
> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 8:48 AM
> To: sigia-l_at_asis.org
> Cc: Saylor, Doyle J.
> Subject: Common Benefits of ADA Accessibility Compliance.
> Importance: High
>
> I am looking for research or experience with presenting the common benefit
> of web-related ADA accessibility requirements to ALL users.
>
> I believe that the reason so many people are passive or genuinely
> resistive to investing in ADA related-activities, is that they see it
> benefiting a small group of users for which they may not personally
> identify.
>
> I believe the that every user can benefit from the "overall good design
> practices" mandated by ADA accessibility. These result in overall
> increased usability for everyone. The same standards mandated by ADA
> could have a positive impact in lowering repetitive stress injuries, such
> as carpel tunnel syndrome, which would in turn reduce such employer costs
> such as reduced employee productivity and workers comp cases.
>
> I see the benefits of ADA standards as common place and accepted as mouse
> pads with padded wrist pads, adjustable monitors, and computer chairs.
>
> While I have the conviction, I am lacking the evidence. Can anyone help
> me out in that area? Please respond offline and I will compile and repost
> the summary.
>
> Thank you in advance for your thoughtful comments.
>
>
> Diana Ringer
> Wells Fargo Bank
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