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Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

lifemichael.com

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Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#31

Post by armchairhacker »

you should add subtitles to your videos.

Either just auto-generate them with a service (can even use YouTube as someone mentioned), ask for the community to add subtitles, or hire transcribers if you’re willing to pay

Can re-show the videos one at a time when subtitles are added rather than immediately doing it to the full batch.

You could even just move the site to a Youtube channel, as youtube provides subtitles.

Besides getting around this, having subtitles or a transcription of your videos actually makes them more useful. My hearing is 100% fine but I find that subtitles make me absorb the information better.

I get that this is a PITA, and I agree that subtitles shouldn’t be required. But if you really want your site/videos to stay up it shouldn’t be that hard to just add the subtitles

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#33

Post by pnw »

This already happens in the US with ADA laws, and it will happen with California's new privacy and wage transparency laws. Unfortunately every time you create a new law with a private right of action, lawyers will monetize it at industrial scale.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/magazine/americans-with-d...

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#34

Post by BitwiseFool »

twblalock wrote: post #26
josephcsible wrote: post #14

This is a problem with accessibility laws in general, not with Israel in particular. Remember when UC Berkeley was a victim of the same kind of attack? https://reason.com/2017/03/07/berkeley-deletes-200000-free-o...

It’s boneheaded stuff like this that turned me against most accessibility laws in general. They sound like a good idea, but the implementations tend to make the perfect the enemy of the good and raise the barrier to entry too high for anyone who doesn’t have their own legal team.

There needs to be a system where accessibility issues can be raised and addressed without allowing attorneys to profiteer from the system.

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#35

Post by jonas21 »

armchairhacker wrote: post #31

you should add subtitles to your videos. Either just auto-generate them with a service (can even use YouTube as someone mentioned), ask for the community to add subtitles, or hire transcribers if you’re willing to pay Can re-show the videos one at a time when subtitles are added rather than immediately doing it to the full batch. You could even just move the site to a Youtube channel, as youtube provides subtitles. B…

I don't know the specifics of this law, but in other cases, automatically-generated captions have been found to not be good enough.

https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/news/significance-harvard...

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#36

Post by aerostable_slug »

crummy wrote: post #18

My phone can autocaption audio from any website, I assume there are services that would do this for videos. Is this worth considering?

There are a variety of services out there. Many are quite inexpensive and produce extremely good results (as in translating idioms & slang from one language to another in an effective manner). We do this at work all the time because we serve an audience that speak a relatively large number of languages.

The best services use a combination of automation and a human fluent in both languages. There are quite a lot of the latter who work from home in various countries and hence don't charge American-level rates.

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#37

Post by twblalock »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #34
twblalock wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s boneheaded stuff like this that turned me against most accessibility laws in general. They sound like a good idea, but the implementations tend to make the perfect the enemy of the good and raise the barrier to entry too high for anyone who doesn’t have their own legal team.

There needs to be a system where accessibility issues can be raised and addressed without allowing attorneys to profiteer from the system.

Why, so the arbitrators of that system can profit instead? And so the people who appoint them can profit from having such a lucrative power?

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#38

Post by josephcsible »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #34
twblalock wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s boneheaded stuff like this that turned me against most accessibility laws in general. They sound like a good idea, but the implementations tend to make the perfect the enemy of the good and raise the barrier to entry too high for anyone who doesn’t have their own legal team.

There needs to be a system where accessibility issues can be raised and addressed without allowing attorneys to profiteer from the system.

The problem isn't that attorneys can profiteer. The problem is that if you spend a bunch of time and money to make available a public resource that you're not making any money off of, you shouldn't be forced to choose between spending way more money on it or taking it away from everyone.

Re: Thanks to the Israeli accessibility law, I have to delete my websites

#40

Post by anigbrowl »

twblalock wrote: post #26
josephcsible wrote: post #14

This is a problem with accessibility laws in general, not with Israel in particular. Remember when UC Berkeley was a victim of the same kind of attack? https://reason.com/2017/03/07/berkeley-deletes-200000-free-o...

It’s boneheaded stuff like this that turned me against most accessibility laws in general. They sound like a good idea, but the implementations tend to make the perfect the enemy of the good and raise the barrier to entry too high for anyone who doesn’t have their own legal team.

Wouldn't it be wiser to organize for reform of the law (in concert with disability advocates) than to throw the baby out with the bathwater?
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