www/accessibility accessibility.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       14/05/06 11:35:55

Modified files:
        accessibility  : accessibility.html 

Log message:
        Clarify that accessibility is not a form of freedom and is no
        substitute for freedom.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/accessibility/accessibility.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.22&r2=1.23

Patches:
Index: accessibility.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/accessibility/accessibility.html,v
retrieving revision 1.22
retrieving revision 1.23
diff -u -b -r1.22 -r1.23
--- accessibility.html  4 May 2014 18:20:03 -0000       1.22
+++ accessibility.html  6 May 2014 11:35:54 -0000       1.23
@@ -27,9 +27,11 @@
 people with disabilities in the world.  To use computers, many of them
 need special software known as &ldquo;access technology&rdquo;.  Like
 other programs, these can be free software or proprietary.  Those
-which are free software respect the freedom of their users; the rest,
-proprietary programs, subject those users to the power of the
-program's owner.</p>
+which are free software <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html"> respect
+the freedom of their users</a>; the rest, proprietary programs,
+subject those users to the power of the program's owner.  Programs for
+accessibility ethically must be free software, like other
+programs.</p>
 
 <p>In order for access technology to work, the other software in use
 must interoperate with it.  The majority of computer programs and web
@@ -45,8 +47,8 @@
 cooperate with accessibility.  Microsoft Silverlight is similar.
 <acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym> is also
 difficult; though there is free software to view it, it does not
-support free access technology software.  GNU PDF aims to do
-better.</p>
+support free access technology software.  Improving this is an
+important project.</p>
 
 <p>People with disabilities deserve to have control of their own
 technological destinies.  When they use proprietary access technology,
@@ -55,7 +57,7 @@
 by people who do not have the disability; 20 years' experience shows
 that people with unusual combinations of disabilities, who require
 relatively unusual software, or who encounter a bug that keeps them
-from doing their job have no way to obtain the changes they need.
+vfrom doing their job have no way to obtain the changes they need.
 These products are only changed or improved when the vendors see a
 business reason for doing the work; this leaves many users behind.  As
 a secondary problem, proprietary access software is far more expensive
@@ -63,7 +65,8 @@
 way.</p>
 
 <p>For users with disabilities, as for all other users, free software
-is the only way the users can control their own computing, their only
+is <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">the
+only way the users can control their own computing</a>, their only
 chance to make software fit their needs rather than passively
 accepting whatever developers choose to offer them.</p>
 
@@ -79,8 +82,9 @@
 will provide tools that people with disabilities can use to expand
 their horizons enormously.</p>
 
-<p>Ensuring that your application or web site is accessible is the
-right thing to do.  And it fits naturally with free software.</p>
+<p>Making a program accessible is no substitute for making it respect
+users' freedom &mdash; these are separate issues &mdash; but the two
+fit naturally together.</p>
 
 <h3>Recommendations</h3>
 
@@ -183,7 +187,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2014/05/04 18:20:03 $
+$Date: 2014/05/06 11:35:54 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>