[googlryas]

Maybe instead of having stylesheets for print and media queries, different versions are just written for each?

I've wondered this about a11y in HTML too. Instead of trying to torment the browser into understanding how a11y should work with a bunch of ARIA properties, what if a simple alternative was offered which was easier to understand for a11y but not for 'normal' users?

[danShumway]

ARIA properties are really just the escape hatch. For the most part, people shouldn't be using them except to fill in gaps.

Semantic HTML is the simple alternative. And the reason HTML has worked for accessibility overall is because it forces developers to use the accessible interface.

Compare that with image/video captions/descriptions, where most devs just don't do it. If you have a programming setup where the accessible and visual parts of your interface are two separate things, then by and large you will usually only get software with a visual interface.

The terminal is another good example of this. It turns out that forcing developers to code an interface that can reduce to pure text has some advantages for accessibility, extensibility, and portability.

[zeven7]

Those suggestions would probably be better if everyone building a website had infinite man power. But in the real world adoption is going to suffer if you have to make a separate document for web, print, a11y, etc. Then someone will say "Why don't we have a unified markup language that we can use to produce each of these documents for us?" And then XSLT will be invented. And what a mess we've made.

[googlryas]

But if people are already putting in extra effort to get these features working in their unified markup language, then it isn't different (from the perspective of effort) to write separate versions. In fact, it might be easier, because at that point you're working in a language custom designed for the task at hand, not trying to shoe horn a spoken-word UI into a visual UI language.

[1shooner]

Regarding accessibility: Isn't this the intention of the Accessibility Object Model?

[madeofpalk]

> 'normal' users

Don't say this. The quotes don't make it any better - this is like outright discrimination to consider that people who need a well designed website are not normal. Every user of your product is a "normal user".

Remember that people's ability doesn't exist at two extremes - Just take eyesight. It is just a fact that people's eyesight starts to deteriorate, especially as you get older. This is incredibly normal, and just because you've gotten a bit older and can't see like a 12 year old doesn't mean you deserve a segregated web experience.

[googlryas]

normal: the usual, average, or typical state or condition.