accessibility aggravation

[deborah]

I find it aggravating that WebAIM will be presenting at this year's CSUN (International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference) on "The Myth of the Typical Screen Reader User", since its representatives on the WebAIM mailing list have made it very clear that they believe there IS a typical screen reader user: a computer illiterate technophobe with total lack of agency who needs to be handheld for all computer use.

I also find it aggravating that CSUN isn't broadcasting any of the sessions. (You can charge people to see a webcast, you know!) Sure, they do seem to do a pretty good job for attendees with disabilities on site, but a lot of people with disabilities find it difficult to travel, you know? Not to mention how many people with disabilities have lower incomes than their able-bodied peers. A twitter feed is not a broadcast.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Re WebAIM: I know it's frustrating to be condescended to, but in general isn't it better to be underestimated than overestimated?

Yeah, if anyone has the tech capacity to create a virtual con, CSUN should.

[deborah]

it can be more useful to be underestimated than overestimated, but I'm not sure it's necessarily better. In this case, we are talking about people who used the analogy "it's better to push the wheelchair into the elevator instead of dragging the elevator up the stairs" and took offense when it was pointed out to them that that was a terrible analogy because it assumed that the person in a wheelchair couldn't make his or her own decisions about which route was appropriate (maybe it is a stair-climbing wheelchair!).

[jesse_the_k]

Ah! I get it now! Thanks for taking the time to help me see!