Thanks but no cigar
Commenting on my World Cup Game Tracker post, Kestrel identified herself as a blind computer user who, after hearing about the accessibility improvements in Flash MX, had visited the Macromedia site and tried to download the trial version.
The newest version of Flash might be accessible, but trying to figure out where the link was to download this wonder while using a screen reader was not possible.
John Dowdell from Macromedia Support left an apologetic reply—promising to follow up Kestrel’s problems and noting that “the Macromedia web team is working on a major set of enhancements to the site.”
The opportunity to enlist Kestrel as an accessibility consultant was too good to pass up so I asked her if she’d mind offering a critique of the World Cup Game Tracker and the Broadmoor Online Reservations Flash applications. Kestrel’s verdict:
I checked out the two web sites you included, the newstracker for the World Cup and the hotel. For all I know, both sites led to blank pages. No sounds, no text, no links. I tried both clicking on the link by hitting return and using the right click button on my JAWS keypad. This was using IE 6 and JAWS 4.02, both the latest versions, so if anything could be gotten from the experience, I should have gotten it. Whenever I run into this situation, I think of a slumlord slapping a coat of paint over a condemned building and calling it “newly renovated”. Sometimes I think web designers are the snake oil salesmen of the 21st century. When will these guys have to live up to some standards? It isn’t an accessibility issue anymore, it’s a usability issue. PONR!
These sites may be impressive and useful to sighted Web users but they are neither accessible nor usable. “When will these guys have to live up to some standards?” When enough of us care sufficiently to make accessibility a priority.
After reading this, I decided to revisit my web sites and weblog and check to make sure these are accessible.
Posted by Burningbird on 11 June 2002 (Comment Permalink)