Web Accessibility in the News
Recent or not-so-recent coverage in the media regarding web accessibility. The AWARE Center started tracking these issues with the establishment of the Center in April 1999, so we do not have archived records prior to that date.
General Web Accessibility News
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Making Web accessible
A column from 13 May 1999 issue of the Boston Globe newspaper about web accessibility. -
Digital Canvas May Online Magazine
Open Studio: The Arts Online publishes a web magazine for the nonprofit arts community, and the May issue featured web accessibility! A good URL to share with artists who question the importance of web accessibility as related to their artwork. -
Grupo Português pelas Iniciativas em Acessibilidade
The Portuguese Accessibility Special Interest Group maintains a list of accessibility news -- in Portuguese, of course! -
Equal access (technology for disabled)
TechWeek cover story on assistive computer technology, featuring Earl Johnson of Sun, T.V. Raman of Adobe, and James Fruchterman of Arkenstone. -
Design impedes Web liberation
From the "Fairfax IT" website in Australia. -
'Bobby' Beat: Enabling Web for All
Computerworld June 6 story on CAST's Bobby program.
Web Accessibility Initiative News
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W3C sets accessibility guidelines
From MSNBC/ZDNN on May 6, about the release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as an official W3C recommendation.
The Section 508 Controversy
In April and May of 1999, a small brushfire of misinformation about accessibility broke out, leading some webmasters worried that the government may be seeking restrict their liberties. This started with an article on ZDnet's news site that's been roundly criticized by web accessibility activists as "sloppy reporting" and it escalated from there.
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'Handicapped access' hits the web
The spark. -
Federally enforced HTML compliance
In the hands of slashdot's active bulletin board users, the issue somehow mutated further. Many libertarian-minded web authors feared a "slippery slope" of complete government domination. -
New U.S. law requires Web sites to become 'handicapped accessible'
Adam Clayton Powell III's article on free!, the Freedom Forum Online, contained many factual errors and misinterpretations; a small clarification was posted but Mr. Powell still stands by his story, which is the sloppiest journalism on this thread to date. This article spawned a protracted debate on the site's discussion board. -
Clearing Up Some Inaccuracies
Judy Brewer of the Web Accessibility Initiative steps forward on the discussion board to set the facts straight. (Go Judy!) -
Sites Must Retool for Disabled
An article on Wired which makes the very dubious claim that designing for accessibility doubles the time necessary to create an accessible web site! (See Common Myths about Web Accessibility for an AWARE Center rebuttal.) This article is also deceptively vague to the point of confusion regarding "government regulation." -
Commentary: The Web Accessibility Initiative
Finally, a fair article! Matt Margolin of Webmonkey covers government compliance and section 508 without descending into paranoid obfuscation! -
W3C, others seek accessible Web
An article from CNET that spells it out: "Contrary to some published reports, section 508 does not apply to Web sites created by companies that do business with the federal government."
AWARE Center News
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HTML Writers Guild Seeks AWAREness
CNET's Builder.Com "Master Builder" Dan Shafer's 26 April 1999 article focused on the AWARE Center. Thanks, Dan! -
HandiTalk on TTalk.Com, 18 May 1999
An Internet "radio talk show" hosted by Michael Lauf; the May 18 show featured Kynn Bartlett, AWARE Center director, and Judy Brewer of the Web Accessibility Initiative.