I was recently searching for a site that listed music download sites and came across this one:
http://www.afb.org/AFBPress/pub.asp?DocID=aw070407

I was halfway down the page before it dawned on me that it was intended for the visually impaired. It talked about Windows-eyes mouse keys etc.

This made me realize that there are folks out there who benefit from such concepts.

Do we, as site designers, have to bear this in mind or do the aids available work on any VSD created site?

Can anyone out there in the coffee urn offer any advice?

I recently finished a course in e-commerce for college. In it, they were discussing this very issue. And according to the "powers to be" we are expected to keep this issue, as well as International Cultures in mind when we produce web-sites, especially for business purposes.

Personally, I disagree with it. If your client wishes for you to keep all possible 'problematic' issues in mind and work around them, then you should do just that. But remember, you can't please everyone all the time. It would be NICE, however, if more web-designers took a little more time working towards accessibility for those with disabilities (but do so without costing others the flashy full bodied content, make an optional page).

Just my 2 cents on the issue.

Well without sound like to much of an (donkey) Don't the browsers all have add ons for these delicate people?

Yes. Windows itself has text-to-voice. Plus there are numerous apps commercially available I do not know exactly how they work, I guess that they read any text in the html for the page. Now, I have noticed that a lot of the time, VSD will convert a text box to an image, for example, if I make it a mouse-over. In this instance, there will be no text for the app to read. On my web site, all of the navigation objects have been converted to text.
html://www.uphilltheband.com/

None of these is available to a blind person, delicate or otherwise.

I think I would rather spend a few minutes on the design for my page than have to maintain an optional page. That sounds like double work. There are 51 million Americans with disabilities (not necessarily blind). I would rather not shut them any of them out as potential viewers of my sites. (Hey, I am a musician. I plan to sell music that blind people can hear!)

I started this thread to see if Coffee Cup had any thoughts on this topic and any plans to help. I do appreciate all of your comments.

Here's a relevant site:
http://web-app.info/cgi-bin/index.cgi

OK Thanks for the lesson, now to show you how green I am. lol
isn't the the reason for the alt attribute for an alternative text for an image?
I get what your saying and agree with it.

Yes, that's for people who browse using screen readers or some other non-graphic browsing tools.

There are minimum accessibility standards that should be kept in mind when creating professional sites, particularly sites offering services or products, unless you want to risk either yourself or your client getting sued.

Here's a free publication about accessibility:

http://www.nngroup.com/reports/accessibility/

I just performed a quick test. The alternative test shows up in Internet Explorer but not in Firefox. Nothing to do with nothing, I suppose, but interesting. Still no idea whether it can be seen by a text-to-voice app.

Interesting publication, Cary. Adobe Reader crashed before I finished it but pp35 - 39 give a neat set of guidelines.

Anyone know what are the legal requirements? There was a reference to Section 508. Does ADA say anything?

This thread has certainly broadened my awareness of others and made me appreciate my own abilities.

The alt text should only show up when images are turned off. IE incorrectly shows the alt text when you hover your pointer over an image with alt text. It shouldn't do this. You can try looking at a page using a text-browser such an Lynx. That will give you an idea of what a screen reader will "see".

This site may be helpful. Take a look at the two "Important" threads stickied at the top.

http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=191