Sorry, I couldn't resist! The reason for the title is because I want to discuss making web sites for the deaf and blind.
Now, when it comes to our friends who are visually and hearing-impaired, incorporating technology into those sites has come a long way. For those who are deaf, I've discovered most YouTube videos now come with the option to toggle closed-captioning. And I do know that computer systems contain speech-to-text for blind users, to help them feel their way around.
In my opinion, these are real necessities for any website maker. Even those who just lost their sense (well, some of it anyway) want to learn to how to use computers. Now, for starters, I would also want to include the CC'ing of a certain sound effect to identify whether a window is being opened or any other computer command, plus include a sensor that sounds for when the mouse isn't in the site window (blind) and pronunciations on certain words deaf people may not get.
Who ever said computers weren't any good for anybody?
Ian I completely agree with you. also the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies some standards that government web sites must meet for considering people with motor and visual disabilities. Basically the act states less clutter, more spacing and lots of audio is the best way to develop their sites. However, most government pages I’ve visited recently do not comply and will, at some point in the future (the act does not require immediate compliance, but rather on the “next major update to the site”), we hope.
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