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ADA Doesn't Limit Websites
Posted by Steven Wu on Thursday, December 05 @ 13:47:42 EST Media Regulation
The Heritage Foundation's James Gattuso has an article in the National Review about a recent unsuccessful suit alleging that Southwest Airlines' website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because the website was not sufficiently accessible to blind people. He remarks first that the ADA's "places of public accommodation" has traditionally been narrowly interpreted--and websites are clearly not included. But he continues with some policy arguments in favor of the decision, saying that applying the ADA to the Internet would unduly restrict website design, perhaps imposing so many regulations that originality would be damped, and amateur efforts stymied.
 
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Re: ADA Doesn't Limit Websites (Score: 0)
by Anonymous (Name Withheld on Advice of Counsel) on Friday, December 06 @ 11:13:38 EST
If by "design" he means an utter dependance of flashy things, including flash, java applets, and other non-text items, then yes, it will restrict website design. But I see this as a good thing - and it certainly won't stymie any amateur efforts, because honestly, making a website fit the ADA is easier than making it violate it. Just type everything out in text, and give alt text to images (the main thing people forget when making websites) and you're most of the way there. Putting menus and stuff in ADA-non-complient flash or java structures is harder than putting them in plain text.


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