On 13-Dec-08, at 8:18 PM, Mustafa wrote:
> How many people in India use screen readers?
> Have there been any case-studies?
> Which institutions/universities in India have web accessibility as
> part of their curriculum?
These are important questions from a research perspective; sadly I
have no answers as to the number of people who use a screen reader or
whether there have been any India-specific studies. I also feel that
these questions are somewhat peripheral to the adoption of a policy on
electronic accessibility - they are interesting, but ultimately
irrelevant.
> Is their an Indian Task-Force that is working solely on these issues?
> If yes, then how do other developers get involved?
This very group is working on issues of accessibility - we're trying
to ensure that a national policy on electronic accessibility becomes a
reality. Concurrently, we're also trying to ensure that designers and
developers are made aware of the need to build accessible, inclusive
online environments.
This group is completely open to all - and we're actively looking for
new members to help us out with the various things that need to be
done - work on the accessibility policy, educating designers and
developers, sensitising a larger audience to the need for
accessibility and so on.
Currently, the UN Solutions Exchange has agreed to take up this issue
on a priority basis and we will be working directly with their ICT team.
> I would love to see the adoption of web-accessibility standards in
> India, however, are there that many developers out there who
> understand these issues? What about the institutions and universities?
> The web studios involved?
I suspect that if accessibility standards become mandatory, more and
more designers/developers will start paying attention. Of course, we
will provide links to learning resources - Opera's Web Standards
Curriculum [1] is an excellent starting point.
> Is CIS an International Organization?
I'm not sure I understand your question - the Centre for Internet and
Society is a society registered in India under the Karnataka Societies
Act.
http://cis-india.org/about-us/people/members
> Do we have a mailing list or an IRC channel where young Indian web-
> developers can meet, share knowledge and get involved in making the
> web better?
I don't know of an India-specific list, but I have benefited from
being part of the following:
Cascading Style Sheets Discuss
http://www.css-discuss.org/
Web-AIM (Accessibility in Mind)
http://list.webaim.org/
The WebDesign List
http://webdesign-L.com/
The Web Standards Group
http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
The Digital Divide
http://digitaldivide.net/
> I believe cynicism disappears with hope :)
>
> Regards and respect,
>
> - Mustafa Quilon
Best,
- Rahul.