Why is it that you can get people to take the law seriously when it comes to ensuring there's a wheelchair ramp for a new building, but not for a comparatively simpler and cheaper thing like a website that a screen reader can use?
I know that laws are slow to change and the changers of laws mostly treat computers with bewilderment and suspicion. I know that only thirty years ago the web really was the wild west whereas there have been building codes for thousands of years.
What I don't understand is how there seems to be neither voluntary compliance not significant enforcement.
Not all businesses are covered under this law, so it doesn't really make sense that an online equivalent would cover all websites. Not to mention private property.
(Quick edit, rewrote to make the meaning I intended clearer)
The web as a javascript application delivery system is the worst thing that has happened for accessibility in the last 30 years. But it sure does make it cheaper for companies/institutions to develop in teams and run. And they can even monetize the user this way.
Did they though?
I remember when sites would heavily leverage Flash, Shockwave, Java Applets, Image Maps, etc.
The reality is that the web started as a document system but immediately got pulled in the direction of being a multimedia delivery platform and has continued in the direction for 30 years.
If anything the tools for accessibility are better than they ever were but are always going to be trailing behind because users and creators want to push the medium further and it takes time to figure out how to translate those new features in an accessibility setting.
For navigation. Full Flash/Shockwave/Java sites for the content were very rare. The text itself was still text in the HTML. It might not have been perfect but at least you had something for the screen reader to read. Modern sites are just blank pages of nothing.
