[html4all] Accessible to whom (or to which groups)

[Joshue O Connor]

Hi Phil,

> And that is
> why I dislike the divisive language of WCAG 1.0 and
> WCAG 2.0 

I never thought of it as divisive.

> it was intended
> to illustrate the point that by singling out any one group
> as deserving of special treatment, we are automatically
> devaluing all other groups. 

I don't even know of that is true. BTW, I am not looking for a fight :-)
However, if a group of men climb a mountain and one becomes injured and
needs more attention, that does not mean that the other members suddenly
become less valuable.

> I would like all of us who believe
> in equality and equitability of treatment to state
> that we believe that the web should be accessible
> to /all/, not just to one particular group.

And me. But in order to do that minority groups, like people with
disabilities, have needs that must be addressed. This takes up time,
resources, energy etc and some may say that it is possibly
disproportionate, or skewed,  if a minority group require extra
attention and extra resources. However, this is necessary and in a sane
society - the way it should be. Lest we just become solipsistic,
selfish, impersonal and uncaring.

> if accessibility is to become a reality, then we need
> to /encourage/ people to subscribe to the philosophy,
> and I believe we will only succeed in that when people
> can see that accessibility is for /them/, not just for
> the members of some particular group.

Sounds good to me Phil. However, I still stand by my previous points.

Josh