Flash Site Design - Let the lawsuits begin... yikes.

Author

Let the lawsuits begin... yikes.

DMennenoh **AdobeCommunityExpert**

2006-09-15, 6:29 pm

God... maybe we should make driving cars more accessible now.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=111830

_Chewtoy_

2006-09-15, 6:29 pm

Americans are so behind ;-) *ducks for cover*

Here in the UK we're already required by law to make new websites as
accessible as possible.. no lawsuits yet, but then, it's early days. If anyone
has any good tips on making accessible Flash (I know there are a few tutorials
out there), I'd be very interested in hearing from them.

*waits for the pro-US flames :-)*

DMennenoh **AdobeCommunityExpert**

2006-09-15, 6:29 pm

Accessibility is all fine and good but I find it utterly ridiculous to
allow a blind person to sue an internet based store because it's not
accessible enough for them.

I can't wait til they start suing stores because their window displays
are not accessible enough. Or when will they sue the national park
system because mount rushmore is not accessible?

I hope this gets thrown out faster than used kleenex.

Dave

Don McCahill

2006-09-15, 6:29 pm

It seems that the Target site was trying "not" to be accessible. Using Alt tags
is simply good programming practise. Note at the bottom of the page WalMart is
cited for making an attempt at being useful to the handicapped.

Of course, the good ol' American system means that the person will probably
win a million dollar judgement, when in reality a settlement should be a couple
hundred dollars for the loss of the ability to shop online on that site.

(The above is not a slam at America ... it is a slam at lawyers.)

David Stiller

2006-09-24, 6:24 pm

> Using Alt tags is simply good programming practise.

I saw the phrase "alt tags" in the article. I'm guessing the phrase
should actually be "alt attributes," because there are no alt tags
(elements) in HTML. So we're talking about alt attributes of (presumably)
img tags. HTML is a markup language, so I have a hard time calling the use
of alt attributes "programming," good or otherwise -- and in any case, I
don't see how alt attributes can be used with Flash content -- but that
said, I look at this as a terrific niche market potential, ready to explode.
Sure, retrofitting a website could be boring work, but the lawsuit against a
giant like Target could make other retailers quick to hire code-monkeys.

David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog, http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

DMennenoh **AdobeCommunityExpert**

2006-09-24, 6:24 pm

>>Sure, retrofitting a website could be boring work, but the lawsuit
against a giant like Target could make other retailers quick to hire
code-monkeys.

Geez... are we now the new ambulance chasers? Code-monkey sure hits the
nail on the head in this instance.

Dave

DMennenoh **AdobeCommunityExpert**

2006-09-24, 6:24 pm

>>It seems that the Target site was trying "not" to be accessible.

Right... because ALT attributes are surely a panacea. I'll definitely
get what I intended when my reader tells me I'm ordering a "blue, large
t-shirt" right? I mean, there's only one shade of blue after-all and
Large fits anybody that wears a large. What could go wrong.

Alt-attributes are as dumb as the lawyers suing for them not being there.

Dave

David Stiller

2006-09-24, 6:24 pm

Dave,

[color=darkred]
> Geez... are we now the new ambulance chasers? Code-
> monkey sure hits the nail on the head in this instance.

Ha! Yeah, that's probably true in this case, depending on how dynamic
the site is.

I hadn't thought about the ambulance chaser angle -- certainly didn't
mean it that way -- more like, "Hey, the bar might soon be raised ... now
you'll need design and programming skills AND be able to make a site
accessible." Not everyone can do that, so competition could get fun.

You raised some good points on how useful alt-like mechanisms might be.
Curious to see how it will all play out.

David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog, http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

DMennenoh **AdobeCommunityExpert**

2006-09-24, 6:24 pm

Hey David, yeah I just think this, like soooo many lawsuits in our
litigation happy society, are complete rubbish. Someone wants easy money
and they figure Target is an easy, ahem... target. Unfortunately,
because many of us are politically correct idiots, they will likely get
their easy money and create this new, good-for-nobody niche market...
lovely.

I think I'll stop using alt attributes from now on just because.

Dave