Visually Impaired List Members

[M. Fioretti]

On Sat, May 09, 2009 22:59:29 PM +0100, Graham Todd wrote:

> So, is there a way the screen reader can ignore quotes when dealing
> with posts from list members?

The only way a screen reader can succeed to ignore all the quotes is
if people respect standards, which in this case means to never, ever
use any other quoting style different than one or more ">" signs at
the beginning of each line.

If that is guaranteed, it's relatively easy to code or configure
software to do it. Mutt has t-prot which does this inside the client,
regardless of how email is read: http://www.escape.de/~tolot/mutt/

I read that even outlook can be set to do the same, so...

> Or should we rethink our way of posting to this list to help members
> such as Lorenzo?

in general, the only correct way to post on a mailing list is "always
trim as much as possible (but not everything!) of the quoted text
before even start replying". The reasons are:

1) if both original text and reply fit in one screenful, at least 90%
   of the recurring flamewars about top, bottom or diagonal posting
   disappear, because there's nothing "out of the screen" to complain
   about.

2) many people in many parts of the world only have *metered* Internet
   access. And even in the more "advanced" parts of the world, more
   and more people every year access the Net only with wireless (cell
   phone, wifi...) which is and will remain metered for a while. The
   less you trim before replying, the more THOSE subscriber pay, which
   is hardly definable as good manners.

The second one isn't a theorical issue. I am collecting, to write an
article, links to REAL email messages I've started to see in the last
year or so, from several people on several mailing lists, which all
say, more or less:

"I am leaving this list because nobody gives a damn about trimming,
and I'm sick and tired of paying for ten copies of the same long text
I had already downloaded with my cell phone".

So, trim as much as possible before replying, and everybody will be
happy. Including users with disabilities.

Marco Fioretti
Digital Rights writings -> http://mfioretti.com
-- 
Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on how
software is used *around* you:            http://digifreedom.net/node/84