RE: Accessibility

["Georgina Joyce" <gena visson freeserve co uk>]

Hi

I felt that I needed to reply TO the message below, because while the
message contains some facts, I'm concerned about the disempowering nature of
its content.  If we portray such helplessness then we'll not only loose out
ourselves but so will the computing community.  With the introduction of
Disability legislation being introduced around the world, its making
commercial good marketing sense for producers to make their products
accessible.  It makes good commercial sense for the producers of software to
have their product compatible with software that has been produced by other
vendors.  Training costs for support staff and developers is marginalised
thus providing the possibility of a fluid available work force.

And then there are the benefits to the majority of the end users.  Stability
and communality of operation.

It is organizations and societies etc. that adopt an inclusive philosophy
and not an exclusive one that are the long lasting and successful ones.

While we are still attempting to grasp the fact that the internet has
changed our societies and our lives.  We are no longer in isolation waiting
for someone to come and take us out to communicate with others.  We are a
part of a global community and there are many opportunities available to us
for the grasping.

I feel that we are in a powerful position and not in a disempowered one, so
let's all get on the train and blow our whistles.

Gena

-----Original Message-----
From:	Walt Smith [mailto:ka3agm netcom com]
Sent:	18 August 1999 12:04
To:	blinux-list redhat com
Subject:	Re: Accessibility

Bear in mind that where issues like this are concerned, commercial factors
will *always* play the dominant role.  It's a sad but true fact that blind
computer users are always going to be a tiny minority and that as the
popularity of any operating system increases, we become a tinier and
tinier minority.  This is what happened with Windows ... decisions get
made based on their effect on the largest number of individuals
potentially affected and based on that criterion, blind people don't even
make a blip on the marketing radar.  At the moment, Linux is in the
position of not being anything like as widely used as Windows, but that
could change.  The sooner blind users get in the door and get their basic
technical needs addressed, the better.  Whether this particular train is
already so far down the track that we won't be able to reverse any
problems we may find with architecture, for example, remains to be seen.
My perception is that the overall Linux community is more accessible, on
an individual basis, and that to some extent, at least, the old spirit
that was so much a part of the computer culture twenty years ago still can
be found.  If Linux ever truly takes off commercially, though, you can
forget this culture because as with anything, dollars always speak louder
than needs.

--
Walt Smith - Raleigh, NC
ka3agm netcom com

"I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end."
          - Margaret Thatcher


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