[LINK] Inaccessible Flash installer

[Tom Worthington]

Kim Holburn wrote:
> ... flash itself generally makes websites that use it inaccessible to blind people. ...

Adobe provide some guidance to making Flash content more accessible:
<http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/>.

But it is not easy and most people don't do this. I find I have to 
remind teachers that they have to provide alternatives to images, sound 
and animation for course material. The response I usually get is that it 
is too expensive and time consuming to provide closed text captions for 
the deaf on video. But at least some text notes can easily be provided 
to accompany video and audio.

>... listen to youtube videos ...

As Roger Hudson pointed out in "Flash And Accessibility" (November
2003), video, audio and animation can aid accessibility for people with
cognitive and learning disabilities:
<http://www.usability.com.au/resources/flash.cfm>.

It is interesting what can be conveyed with simple animation. My
favourite example is the animated short film "Airport" by Iain Anderson
(2005). This is made from the signs you see at airports, to tell the 
story of a person taking an international flight: 
<http://funwithstuff.com/dswmedia/airport.html>.

PS: In 2002 I was paid to write "Macromedia Accessibility Solutions for 
Australia": <http://www.tomw.net.au/as/as.html>.
Macromedia was later acquired by Adobe, including the Flash product.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au