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| Recommended Target sued because of bad website
04:40 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
In case you missed it, the National Federation of the Blind recently won a reasonably large lawsuit against Target, claiming that Target.com did not meet minimal standards for people using screen access technology. While I normally side with the little guy over big corporations, there are a number of ridiculous things involved with this ruling, so I'll try to point out each one individually.1. Websites as public places: The main claim of the suit is that Target's website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the California Disabled Persons Act, which gives people with disabilities full rights to all public places. But should the Internet be deemed a public place? It makes sense from the standpoint of certain websites, but many include password-protected areas that are, at the very least, semi-private. It's perfectly acceptable to visit Target.com and leave it on your screen all day, but if you tried to remain inside an actual Target store all day, you'd probably be kicked out when the store closes. The line is somewhat blurred between public places when it comes to a website.
2. Screen readers: Whose job is it specifically to make sure that screen readers for the blind work properly? In this particular case, it's fairly obvious that the Target website was missing key ingredients to help screen readers (for example, alt tags, which allow a web developer to input text for an image). But the basis of the lawsuit is that the screen readers didn't work, which means that the ruling had to assume that whatever screen readers exist currently must work. That is a leap to take when looking at similar technologies. For instance, why not require that the screen reader be adept at converting images to text? OK, so the technology isn't completely ready ... but whose fault is that?
3. Prior rulings: Previously, courts have ruled that disability acts do not cover the web. So why is there a change now?
4. Jurisdiction: Can the National Federation of the Blind sue companies in Europe for not complying to web standards? Can the NFB sue me if I'm missing an alt tag on my website? On Target.com, a screen reader should be able to find a phone number to call Target's customer service for ordering information. While that's not that most optimal solution, it seems like that would allow a user to still purchase items without actually entering the store, although I could be wrong about this.
Should websites be accessible to the blind? Of course they should be. If they're not, should companies have to pay out additional money to the NFB? I don't think so. There is not a set requirement for web standards in accessibility, although the Web Accessibility Initiative is a step in the right direction. I'd like to think it would be more appropriate to come up with a better solution to making websites better than to just start suing companies.
Find your favorite meaningful (or meaningless) quotes
They say a random quote is like reading obituaries from an 18th century newspaper on the other side of the world. The information is worthwhile to someone, but probably not the person actually reading it.
All right, so I made that up, but regardless, meaningful, unique quotes can be difficult to come by, unless you are perusing Food for Thought. The site is billed as "A Collection of Heretical Notions and Wretched Adages compiled by Jack Tourette."
Start off by searching a specific letter of the alphabet, which will turn up tags, or categories, of quotes. Or you can search for specific words to find interesting stuff. It doesn't appear to actually search the quote itself, though. A search for "quote" turns up this tidbit from Nathaniel Hawthorne: "Happiness is a butterfly which when pursued is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly may alight upon you." The source, however, uses the word "quoted."
Anyway, the next time you need something profound to say, and you can't bring yourself to using the B.S. Generator over and over in your boring meetings, try Food for Thought instead. I should warn you, though, that there are no quotes about muffins. I checked already.
Book review: "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy strong>
Did Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax even enjoy playing baseball? As one of baseball's all-time best pitchers (and arguably the best left- handed pitcher), Koufax grew up wanting to play basketball. Instead, he turned in eight so-so years and four ridiculously remarkable ones in his second-favorite sport.
The book "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy alternates chapters between Koufax's perfect game, the last of four no- hitters he pitched. Many people do not realize that Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley pitched a one-hitter, losing 1-0 on an error.
But that's not the only thing people fail to realize when reviewing Koufax's career. During a time period when African-American players were just starting to play in the majors, there was also discontent from allowing Jewish individuals to compete. While Koufax did not go through all the same hardships as some of his teammates, he was scorned for various reasons, including his religion, his penchant for being a recluse and, essentially, his statue among the greatest.
Leavy does a wonderful job alternating between the perfect game and Koufax's life. This book is one of the better baseball biographies I've read, and I've read a ton of them.
Ben is an author and web developer who lives in Baltimore. Send comments and suggestions to info@benwoods.com .
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