> In response to this, I think it raises a really interesting 
> point. Why, oh why have we turned web accessibility into something 
> to beat each other over the head with?

Perhaps because the same basic errors are being made over and over and over again? Or because it seems that actually there is very little learning or improvement going on amongst the majority of commercial web designers? We are after all talking about something which has been produced at an expense far beyond the means of most museums. If a heating system were installed with basic errors in its construction we would rightly complain to the plumber and get it fixed. Is it too much to expect a similar standard of competence in using the basic tools of the web design trade?

After all these errors are not new or obscure ones. They have been well-known errors for six years -- alt attributes, not tabindex; text-size, not accesskey. Validation is surely part of the quality-assurance process. I'm not saying that every 'bogus' attribute put in to accommodate very old browsers needs to be shunned (though personally I wouldn't use them), but that we have a right to expect designers to get the basics right.

If you want to see how something like this should be done, meeting as far as possible standards, accessibility and usability criteria, have a look at <htt://www.theglasgowstory.co.uk/>. I can maximise it to the full 1600 x 1200 of this laptop, bang up the text size to maximum and a have a good, comfortable read.

> The point, when you get right down to it, is to take a responsible
> attitude to the way in which we present ourselves online so that we
> minimise the obstacles people experience in getting to our stuff. 
> 
> There has never been, nor will there ever be, a completely accessible
> website. Even one which is created using perfectly formed HTML which
> validates to every guideline, new and existing, may still contain
> content that is obscure, overly complex and hard to navigate.
> 

While true, it's not an excuse for one using malformed (X)HTML which doesn't validate or meet even Priority A guidelines. It's always much harder to fix something that's broken than to do it right in the first place.

> And a website that does not validate, and which contains 
> (shudder) Flash

I believe Flash can be made much more accessible now (though it rarely is). Does anyone have experience of this?

[snip]  
> responsible ways of approaching building a site. Am I going to beat
> myself up over every spacer ALT tag I miss? No. And neither, 
> I believe, should anyone else. 

But if you systematically missed out alt attributes, or systematically used inappropriate ones like 'spacer' would you expect to be taken to task? No-one's going to complain about one or two errors, they are easily made, especially if you're using a text editor. But it's the appearance of complete failure even to appreciate that there might be an issue that is more concerning.
> 
> Apologies for taking up part of your Friday!
> 
> Nick 
> 

It's OK, it's lunchtime.

Pete


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