Design: CUU: bridging the digital divide with universal usability

How do you explain a trashcan to a culture that doesn't have one? How do you describe a " stop loss limit order " to retirees managing their funds? Can you design a text-only interface that conveys the contents and experience of an animated Flash presentation? These puzzles emerged during the first The Association for Computing Machinery has taken a visionary commitment on universal usability through its Code of Ethics: " In a fair society, all individuals would have equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, the use of computer resources regardless of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin, or other such similar factors. " I believe that information and communications professionals will be enriched by and respected for their commitment to serving diverse users. Designing for diversity is the right thing to do and it is also the smart thing to do. It increases audiences and produces better experiences for all users. Diversity promotes quality. The conference participants shared this commitment. However, they were concerned that although the goal is far-reaching, strong action is needed to begin achieving it. They noted that lacking that action creates an increasing " digital divide, " the growing inequality in people's access to technology and the benefits it can bring. This conference was held not only to understand what the problems are, but more important, to explore what solutions can be taken, and most important, to foster more of that action. The conference was a call to arms. The international group of organizers, presenters, and attendees of the conference shared an unusual com