Target Settles Accessibility Lawsuit with National Federation of the Blind (NFB) August 29, 2008
Posted by debbiepascoe in accessibility, usability, web design.Tags: accessibility, adobe, Flash, NFB, Target
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August 27, 2008 – Target settled the suit brought against it in 2006 in California by the National Federation of the Blind.
Jared Smith’s article on the WebAIM site provides a summary of the settlement, commentary, and opinions of some WebAIM readers.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Access to Web sites is critical to the full and equal participation of blind people in all aspects of modern life. The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have reached a settlement with Target that is good for all blind consumers, and we recognize that Target has already taken action to make certain that its Web site is accessible to everyone. We look forward to working with Target in the coming months to help make additional improvements that will enhance the experience of blind visitors to Target.com. It is our sincere hope that other businesses providing goods and services over the Internet will follow Target’s example and take affirmative steps to provide full access to their Web sites by blind consumers.”
“We feel that it is a wake-up call to companies that have Web sites that are selling goods and services,” said Christopher S. Danielsen, a spokesman at the NFB. “They need to pay attention to accessibility. It is the right thing to do.” He also pointed out that the benefits of attracting new users far outweigh the costs of making changes to the site…Danielsen said that currently there are many retail sites that are “at least somewhat accessible” to the blind, but there’s more work to be done.
Back to WebAIM, their site contains excellent, detailed information about accessibility issues surrounding PDF and Flash, how they can be made accessible, as well as challenges and shortcomings.
I also recently ran across information about a browser specifically designed for visually impaired persons, called WebAnywhere.
Webguild tried it out and provided some observations.
The challenge of organizations to make their sites accessible is not going away. In looking at the comments above, I believe that the NFB, which has right on their side, is pretty comfortable being proactive on this front. Most, if not all, of the states have already passed or are considering legislation. Even though this settlement did nothing to clarify ADA Section 508 requirements where corporates are concerned, individual states have not stood still. Because of that, the NFB has plenty of other venues to press their case, if (when) they identify other opportunities to raise awareness.
Your comments/thoughts/observations welcome…..
The Best Use of Flash I've Seen July 24, 2008
Posted by debbiepascoe in ads and ad spending, usability, web analytics, web design.Tags: Disney, Flash, Hannah Montana, Wal-Mart
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My colleague Kurt has been working on some flash-related stuff that he just shared with me. As part of his work, he researched the history of Flash. I’ve included some Flash history trivia below.
First, though, the thing he brought to my attention that I’m so excited about is one of the best uses of flash I have ever seen. It is a jointly sponsored game-as-advertisement between Disney and Wal-Mart – sporting Wal-Mart’s new logo – for Hannah Montana gear.
Hannah Montana shopping list
What’s so cool about it?
There are many – too many too count – examples of self-indulgent-over-the-top-with-no-real-purpose Flash. This is not one of those.
First you get to define your avatar’s hair and eye color. Next you can design your Hannah Montana bedroom, and dress your avatar in Hannah Montana gear. Ok so far, nothing terribly earth-shattering.
Now, look in the bottom right corner – you can print out a list of all the items you chose, complete with prices, all available for purchase from your local Wal-Mart. This is not just Flash for Flash’s sake. It is well thought out, with benefits for everyone. It’s engaging, it’s fun, it has a purpose. Since this is co-sponsored, both companies will benefit from the traffic metrics that result. Disney will gain insight about visitor engagement for this character and line of merchandise. Wal-Mart can identify which items they need to stock more of based on what items were chosen. You, the consumer, know before you go what you’re looking for and how much it’s going to cost. Sure it’s an ad, but it’s an ad that actually gives something of value – brilliant stuff!
Rant Starts Here
I have a violent allergy to most online ads – why? Because it feels, to me the consumer, like a constant barrage, and endless intrusion and attempt at manipulation, not a sincere attempt at providing something I want or need. When an advertiser can see things from my point of view, that speaks volumes. Why is this important, in the big scheme of things? Because now we have social networks like Myspace and Facebook whose members, like me, are way allergic to ads. If you’re not following this topic, trust me when I tell you that there are two current holy grails of advertising – one is advertising to the vast population of mobile phone users, and the other is advertising to the vast social network. These two frontiers are giving advertisers fits. This advertiser-consumer synergy has been achieved with the Disney-Wal-Mart-Hannah Montana game-as-advertisement. Congrats to Disney and Wal-Mart for thinking past the obvious, and including the consumer in the mix.
Rant over. 
Another Example of “Good” Flash
My other favorite Flash application is My M&Ms – Pick your colors, customize the message, pick the packaging, complete the order – yum!
Flash History Trivia
1995 – Started out as SmartSketch, developed by a company named FutureWave
FutureWave unsuccessfully pitches itself to Adobe
May, 1996 – SmartSketch, now renamed FutureSplash Animator, ships
August, 1996 – Microsoft adopts the technology
Disney becomes a client
December, 1996 -Macromedia acquires FutureWave, renames software to Macromedia Flash 1.0.
April, 2005 – Adobe acquires Macromedia for $3.4B in stock
Interesting how things work out…….
You can read Jonathan Gay’s full history of Flash here.
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