SOCOG hearing over inaccessible Web site

The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has heard from a blind Sydney man his frustration over not being able to access the Olympic Games' organisers' (SOCOG) Web site. The hearing demonstrates the growing importance of Web sites that are accessible to all. In the past, AOL has been sued by advocates for the blind, and has since agreed to accommodate blind Web surfers. The man, Bruce Maguire, told the commission that he had suffered "sleep and lifestyle disruptions" because of the struggle to get better access. Mr Maguire has previously claimed discrimination and forced SOCOG to set up phone ticketing services for the visually-impaired, and print braille versions of a souvenir program. He claims that the Sports Index and Results Table are virtually inaccessible to the blind, and that the site lacks ALT text throughout. He wants the site modified so that his computer could read and translate all information into braille. Australian IT have more information about the hearing.