About the BBC homepage redesign – “JavaScript often seen as accessibility problem, here it was a solution…”
There are accessible commercial sites (tesco, legal & general) but how to persuade users of blogger, youtube, flickr, myspace, bebo etc. to create accessible content?
Responsibility of site – provide accessible tools. Enable users, regardless of ability. Quick example – only 1 in 4 site-building tools allow alt text to be added to photos.
Will the site owner let users know that accessibility support is available? Monitor if they are using it? If a disabled user can’t access the content, who do they ask to correct it?
Mentions the power of youtube for the Deaf community. Video easier to use than text here. Why have “Plain English” when you can have TV?
Adding alt text or transcripts – get the community involved? Either moderators or just contributions from motivated users.
Doing something specifically for a particular audience can reap benefits. Examples from BBC; enabling primary school kids to learn BSL via interactive Flash avatar; second game builds a play with BSL dialogue.
Another example for blind kids – game uses the stereo sound field to indicate left-right position on the screen. Move train cars from the left, try to get them over to the right.