Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Under the ADA

Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by oh_sigh on Friday March 18, 2022 @04:20PM (#30727026)

Right, that is what I've always wondered - why do we try to shoehorn what usually amounts to accessibility for low visibility users into the visual format of a webpage? Wouldn't it be easier and better to offer a completely different, tailored experience for low-vis users? Even just an alternate layout that makes it more likely for screen readers to work naturally. e.g. www.cnn.com vs lite.cnn.com

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by SilasX on Friday March 18, 2022 @05:19PM (#30727672)

Except, that’s exactly how html originally started: “oh it’s a nice, machine-readable way of structuring a document, where users can plug in their preferred reader and use it however they like!”

lite.cnn.com just starts that process all over again:

“Lifehack: you can access websites by lite.<domain> and you’ll get a less hostile experience because it’s intended to be accessible.”

“Lifehack: Use the extension LiteBrowse, which automatically goes to the light version of a site and then prettifies it for you.”

‘Oh my! Our analytics say most users are going to the light version! Let’s spice that up and do a UX revamp on it, help improve engagement and get ad clicks.’

‘Oh, wow, someone make a framework to churn out these really profession lite versions of a page, and wow, they’re so eye-popping and let you incorporate JavaScript…’

Earlier thread on this point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20224961

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by ximm on Saturday March 19, 2022 @02:40AM (#30731704)

> The principles of universality of access irrespective of hardware or software platform, network infrastructure, language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental impairment are core values in Web design

Tim Berners-Lee https://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Architecture.html (1998)

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by oceanghost on Saturday March 19, 2022 @01:56AM (#30731501)

Except your point ignores the reality of the situation.

Whatever HTML was intended to be-- it isn't now.

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by SilasX on Saturday March 19, 2022 @08:03AM (#30733111)

And whatever lite.domain is intended to be, it won’t be after a few years if you don’t make the change in practices that led to html’s fate.

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by kalensh on Friday March 18, 2022 @05:02PM (#30727481)

Because very few companies will maintain that alternate site to ensure it provides the same functionality and content. And accessibility is more than just screen reader compatibility.

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by oh_sigh on Friday March 18, 2022 @05:44PM (#30727942)

Isn't that the state we're already in? Very few sites actually test for accessibility before pushing production changes. It is already a second class citizen.

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Re:Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Unde... by ILMostro7 on Friday March 18, 2022 @04:40PM (#30727233)

Reminds me of pre-smartphone mobile web.

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