Giving the Disabled Increased E-access

The federal government has ordered its member agencies to improve their Web
sites' accessibility for people with disabilities. Among the innovations
being advocated are alt text, which allows a blind computer user's
screen-reading device to interpret graphics and read them, and
close-captioning to accompany streaming video and voice-operated commands. 
The scope of the project is enormous, with the Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance board estimating costs between $85 million
and $691 million.  That represents a significant new market for Internet
solutions providers such as Optavia, which says it will concentrate nearly
one-quarter of its efforts this year on disability-related business. Although
the government has not extended this new policy to commercial Web sites,
court precedent suggests the Americans with Disabilities Act does apply to
the Internet. (Washington Post, August 24 2000)