The new (version 2) WAI is much better as it clearly seperates the disciplines. Now the graphic designer can concentrate on ensuring that the “look and feel” is accessible, the author can concentrate on the text leaving the engineer to do all the technical stuff required to deliver that style and content reliably over the Internet.

The key to successful use of WAI is to understand that “web-design” is a combination of these disciplines. Wherever possible it should be a team effort, but if only one person is responsible for the whole enterprise then s/he needs to understand each of the disciplines and apply the different skills at the appropriate stages of development.

Another benefit of version 2 is the ability to define a baseline for users and technologies. This means that the guidelines can be applied quite easily to a whole range of communication technologies (not just html websites). So the new version is platform neutral and should not limit creativity. However it does require webdesigners to think about what they are doing and take responsibility for ensuring that they properly understand the technologies they are using and do not introduce barriers to accessibility through poor engineering.