Display a weather map: Its cloudy in x area. (isn't that all a weather map does???)
Display a shopping cart:
Items in your cart:
1 clue - $4
shipping - free
Total - $4
Most of the functionality programing you are speaking about is javascript, there are some times when javascript can be very helpful in displaying information faster, but all client side scripting can be done just as well serverside.
How reasonable should your accessibility development be?
Well lets look at your list of problems (I have run accessbility checks on many sites and know that the results often look rather bad..)
Alt text - This is a no brainer from the start, all images should have alt text, period. If its some kind of image setup only for alignment, then use alt="". This is usually one of the more time consuming actions made when sites are "made accessible," but really there should haven't have been this problem in the first place.
Complex table layouts - If you have very complex nested tables used to layout the positioning of your pages you can use embedded links to allow people to jump to specific areas of the page. This is a weak work around, but cna save you from a total redesign. It can also be done pretty quick, you might not get a accessibility certified sticker from something like Bobby, but it would make the site 'accessible.'
Incompatible navigational elements - Its the navigation right? So that usually means the same thing repeated over and over on all pages (heck, it should be a template call). Just work through the process of allowing for navigation links to work in screen reader/text browsers.
Language - I'm assuming this comes down to items like "look at this" and "click on the picture of the bear" and such? This, like the alt tags, could be time consuming. Again, on a redesign this can be an issue, but on initial web designs it should be just understood to stay away from such things. In relation to reading disabilities, if your site was usable by a screen reader, it wouldn't matter if someone had a reading disability, they would have a screen reader.
Slashdot Mirror
Display a weather map:
Its cloudy in x area. (isn't that all a weather map does???)
Display a shopping cart:
Items in your cart:
1 clue - $4
shipping - free
Total - $4
Most of the functionality programing you are speaking about is javascript, there are some times when javascript can be very helpful in displaying information faster, but all client side scripting can be done just as well serverside.
yawn....
:)
Disable images, javascript, and plugins. Bam, all text.
Or use a screen reader.
But if a merchant arranged their merchandise such that everything was 5 feet off the floor and all aisles were a foot and a half wide.......
Yes it might be just an annoyance to an able-bodied person, but to someone in a wheel chair, it would impossible to shop there.
How reasonable should your accessibility development be?
Well lets look at your list of problems (I have run accessbility checks on many sites and know that the results often look rather bad..)
Alt text - This is a no brainer from the start, all images should have alt text, period. If its some kind of image setup only for alignment, then use alt="". This is usually one of the more time consuming actions made when sites are "made accessible," but really there should haven't have been this problem in the first place.
Complex table layouts - If you have very complex nested tables used to layout the positioning of your pages you can use embedded links to allow people to jump to specific areas of the page. This is a weak work around, but cna save you from a total redesign. It can also be done pretty quick, you might not get a accessibility certified sticker from something like Bobby, but it would make the site 'accessible.'
Incompatible navigational elements - Its the navigation right? So that usually means the same thing repeated over and over on all pages (heck, it should be a template call). Just work through the process of allowing for navigation links to work in screen reader/text browsers.
Language - I'm assuming this comes down to items like "look at this" and "click on the picture of the bear" and such? This, like the alt tags, could be time consuming. Again, on a redesign this can be an issue, but on initial web designs it should be just understood to stay away from such things. In relation to reading disabilities, if your site was usable by a screen reader, it wouldn't matter if someone had a reading disability, they would have a screen reader.
You CAN get off your BUTT and make more money.
You CAN learn another language. You can NOT learn to see when you are blind.