flash sites illegal in the uk

[ehman]

the british government made sites that are not accessable to the blind illegal in britan. All sites must be accessable via a text to speech web navigator.

Sites made completly in flash aren't exactly compatable with tts

:eye: :eye:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/3117050.stm

[morse]

uh oh

[ahmed]

wow.. accessibility is always nice, but that's just too much :-\

does that apply to sites hosted in the UK only, or any site owned by british people/companies..? It's horrible either ways

[Soul]

Arghh!!! *runs*






... oh wait, I don't use flash :bad:


But seriously this is really stupid. What if it's a personal website, what does it have to do with anyone else!? :m:

- Soul :s:

[ahmed]

All technologies are being either patented or prohibited, that leaves us with nothing but plain text sites.. :-\

[RelandR]

Under new legislation websites must be easy for disabled people to navigate.

eh...
The jist I got from scanning the article was that
it may well be enough to provide on the entry page alternate directions for the impaired and the nonimpaired

as long as they are 'provided for' that prolly will suffice (???)

[ehman]

yeah i guess you could buil a sepreate html site for blind people, and people without the flash plug in. But thats twice the work.
I think a lot of people (clients) will be put off from having their sites built in flash

So flash developers in britan could have trouble finding work

[RelandR]

or expand yer flash skillz to the point that the site talks to them like if it was TV


...screenreaders? ...we don't need no stinking screenreaders !

.. I haven't played with it yet, but doesn't mx'04 have some flash useability in it ?

[Aislin]

Since when do blind people use the internet anyway?

That's rediculous.

maybe downloading music, but who the hell would--- ah never mind. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard, either way.

[DDD]

Actually alot of blind folks use the internet.....I do think that is a bot extreme but the use of alt and title tags are cool. I worked at a library for a while and there were alot blind folks using the net.....And they would complain all the time....

[lostinbeta]

Ok, I do believe handicapped people should be treated equally, just because they are handicapped doesn't mean they should be outcasts. However, I think this is taking it too far in a way. Websters dictionary describes handicap as
a : a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult b : a physical disability
Blind people are considered handicaps because they do have a physical disability and they do have a disadvantage. The internet focuses on mainly visible things, you need to click links, scroll scrollbars, fine navigations, read text, focus and unfocus windows and textareas, etc. Ok, so they have programs that help them do this, but according to that article.
Often there can be difficulties with graphics on the screen, sometimes there aren't always text labels and sometimes websites are so large you spend some time having to manipulate your speech programme to find the information you need This is a downfall to their disability. They need to rely on these programs to help them, yet these programs don't work good enough, so instead of fixing the programs they would rather change the law so that everyone must make their site "blind people friendly".

Are they going to make it a law that all books, magazines, brochures, pamphlets, charts, and anything printed on paper must be printed in a brail version too? It is kind of the same concept right?

As I stated before, I have nothing against blind people browsing the internet, it is their right and they deserve it fully, but to make it a law seems a bit outlandish to me. If a business site does a bad job in creating their site and end up losing a customer (because they were blind and couldn't navigate the site), then that's too bad for them, but I don't see why it should be forced on them to make these changes, it is their business, their site, their customers.

Maybe I am being stupid, maybe i'm not, but whatever :-\

[kh3mical]

i think flash sites are easier to navigate than html ones.

[lostinbeta]

Originally posted by kh3mical
i think flash sites are easier to navigate than html ones.

That's kind of all dependant on the designer and how they design the site. Some flash sites make it nearly impossible to find links and buttons. And some HTML sites do the same.

[kh3mical]

well, most HTML sites have tonnes and tonnes of buttons, whereas flash designers have to do more work if they are making a 100% flash one. So probable they would tend to try and and reduce the amount of buttons.

[RussianBeer]

This is rediculously stupid! Now we all have to learn sign language too because, hey how are we going to communicate with the deaf?
There are sites out there who are hard to navigate for people that can see! But I don't see a law forbiding that! This is rediciulous I am glad I am from the U..C of NA! ..

.... United Canada of Northamerica... :sure:

[Voetsjoeba]

That is, as RussianBeer already said, just plain stupid ! I'm with lost on this, they can't expect everyone to put a whole lot of work in sites converting them to HTML just because there are a few people out there that can't read the text.

Don't understand me wrong, I have nothing against blind people, and they are fully in their right to browse the internet and visit sites, but they must keep in mind that they can't make the rest change. The following may sound a bit rude, but it is not in any way ment like that:

They have the full right to browse the internet, but they can't expect whole Britain to change all their sites, just because some can't read it. I mean, do I go to the government and start complaining that I can't read my screen without wearing glasses for example ? Then everybody should make the text on their website huge or what ?

[andr.in]

What is the world coming to!!?? :crazy:

[eyezberg]

"...the RNIB is planning to step up its prosecutions until all websites are user-friendly"
Well, good luck then with..how many million websites out there?

This is just plain stupid, if I make a website, why should everybody be able to view it, it is intended for a certain public, the others I won't care about, same as the Netscape & IE version and different pages based on the users screen resolution, basically, you'll end up making 20 versions of the site...forget it.
Make your Flash site, separate design from content/data, and then just provide a link to data-only for the diabled readers software. Why does this software need an extra browser anyway, can't it be developped to just read the content from a specific url and provide a links list...
Stupid laws always upset me a bit..

[RussianBeer]

I wonder, lets say, technically not everything made in flash is a website right? We can make movies slide shows and whatever. So, lets say your flash website?
Not a website anymore, its a Online Flash Presentation
or whatever ;)
I wonder if such a loophole exist?
Or you can just call your websites Interactive Shows
You get the point.

Someone in the UK will have to look this law up, and read it letter by letter.

[RelandR]

I think so (law read to the letter)...that story is sorely wanting for detail (notice no links to expound)... it leaves too much to the imagination,

there must be something missing

... o-wise it is indeed sssstupid

[Jasninder]

wtf, brits govt is going nuts i think....
this does'nt make sense

quote
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Mark Smith is blind and a great fan of the internet. Using voice recognition software he spends hours surfing the net.
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I mean Come ON !!!


Feels like i have heard everything now, i bet this is not gonna work.

quote
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Fancy graphics and flash technology are fine as long as it can still be read by basic software.
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basic software? :-/
whatever it is, i bet it's gona kill the fun.

[andr.in]

ok... so the next time you show somebody your website you have to say...
"Hey wanna check out my online flash presentation?" lol

[asphaltcowboy]

For the record, legally blind does not mean you cannot see. When you have impaired vision of a certain degree, that is when you are officially classed as 'legally blind'.

A lot of sites have flash and non-flash versions anyway, so no biggie there. As for flash sites being more easily navigable compared to html: what a load of rubbish tbh.