Boycott: Odeon Cinemas

Post by **Kajun** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:03 pm

For years Odeon Cinema's website has been inaccessible, both to disabled users and to those of us sensible enough not to use dangerous browsers. For a nearly equally long time, Matthew Somerville has produced the Accessible Odeon Site, which he has now been forced to take down under threat from legal action by Oden.

The legalities are fine, but the precedent is not. Odeon said some time ago in the Independent that they were happy for the site to exist, and in the absence of an accessible Odeon website (a crime against web users which could be punishable under the Disability Discrimination Act), Matthew's site has long been a useful service to disabled users and more.
If the Odeon were ready to unveil an accessible site, I'm sure Matthew and the rest of us would be jubilant to rip down his site and allow this cinematic giant to shine through. But they aren't, and that's why we will not use Odeon cinemas until they address this severe problem. You shouldn't either.

Others aren't happy - Isofarro sent an email, BlackbeltJones, AccessifyForum, and others.

Zathras · Post by **Zathras** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:20 pm

Matthew also did an accessible site for National Rail which may still be up, prompted by his ownership of a RISC OS-based machine, the RiscStation, which got its arse spanked in just about every RISC OS benchmark by my SA RPC

He also quit the Assassins game at Oxford back in our first year because I kept on nailing him with a water pistol just outside the Natural History museum where we had our lectures and I don't think he appreciated linear algebra whilst soaking wet on a cold November morning.

Post by **Kajun** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:59 pm

Er, right. Nevertheless....

(his other accessible versions...)

Charmaka · Post by **Charmaka** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 6:45 pm

Oh gods, you were in the Assassins guild?

Ice · Post by **Ice** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 7:17 pm

We don't have Odeon over here

Bonus!