I agree completely. If you use a word like "microprocessor" in a sentence, then you've pretty much shot the RGL of that sentence unless you just have one or two other words in it. RGLs are meaningless in technical material, and not all of the web is commercial or entertainment sites.

There are lots of workarounds to make things accessible, like providing plain-text alternatives through a link to equivalent content. As I said in another post, Section 508 is only the law for (US) Government-procured systems and applications. You can even find workarounds for multimedia and Flash to make them compliant, though this is easier if you start out with accessibility in mind rather than trying to change a complex site or system that's already out there. The regulations also allow for "undue burden" exceptions where compliance is not always practical.

I agree with your last point about increasing the incentives for better product development. The devil hides in the details of how to get there, though.

I couldn't disagree more.

I guess they're not worth your time and trouble as long as you can get to most of what you want. Nearly one in four Americans has some sort of disability, so savvy publishers who don't want to lose out on a big chunk of marketshare find it worthwhile to comply.

In the case of commerical sites, vendors find that disabled users are a loyal lot and will keep frequenting sites and businesses that support their needs. And they won't waste time struggling with a non-compliant site if the competition is compliant.

The argument that this puts undue burden on content providers is BS. The same thing was said about forcing car makers to include seat belts, and on and on. Like the cutouts in sidewalks, not just disabled people benefit from the efforts to accommodate their needs; the general public does, too.

Lastly, while it is well intentioned for general use, 508 applies only to things being provided to the (US) Government. If you didn't factor in the costs of accessibility into your bid, then too bad for you.

A lot of what 508 is striving for is just good design and usability, with accessibility being the foundation upon which usability is built. (If it's not accessible how can it be usable?) As you point out a lot of things that fail are just poorly designed or implemented.