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Subject:RE: Use of ALT in web pages From:"Daniel Hall" <misterhall -at- prodigy -dot- net> To:"Writing List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 2 Jun 2000 07:17:48 -0700
Tom mentioned that using alt tags to provide access for those who are have
images turned off in their browser is nice. Providing useful information in
those tags is essential if your page is being machine dictated to the blind
or visually impaired.
While I've never personally heard of a company being prosecuted, the courts
have ruled that the ADA applies to the Internet. This means that companies
have a legal obligation to provide their information in some form accessible
to the disabled. Your legal folks might take notice of this and ask you to
provide more accessible alt tags. Or more likely, they'll never think about
it until the inevitable (in our society) lawsuit.