TROY – In 2006, national retailer Target was sued by the National Federation of the Blind because it had previously refused to put alternative text on the images on its Web site and would not make the site usable without a mouse. A press release from the National Federation of the Blind states that the court held that Web sites such as target.com are required by California law to be accessible, meaning that we can expect to see similar retailers held to the same standards.
The impact of the suit on developers has been to create a dialogue about the topic of accessibility as a whole, and whether or not building such a site is cumbersome or cost-prohibitive. In fact, when we did a scan of our own site, ConnecTech.Org (through CynthiaSays.Com, we found a number of things we need to adjust. As we created a plan to take care of those things, it got us thinking about the topic as it pertains to IT professionals.
In this month?s webinar on April 8 at noon, we take a look at how technology impacts accessibility?specifically, we?ll be hearing about the difference that it can make in the life of someone who is visually impaired. A representative from Assistive Technology of Michigan will walk us through the process of outfitting someone with ?appropriate? technology, and we?ll learn what an IT professional may need to consider when incorporating such new devices into the workplace.
There are many ways in which technology serves to improve our quality of life, but we rarely stop to think about the lessons it provides. We hope that this month?s webinar will give us valuable insight into what is possible when we focus on being more inclusive, and help educate our members in the process.
This column was written by Danielle DeLonge, ConnecTech Manager
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