Economic Opportunities Available for African American Women Essay

Economic Opportunities Available for African American Women - Essay Example Both males and females of African ancestry often face discrimination in different aspects of their lives, ranging from educational opportunities to provision of healthcare services and employment in the labor market. Extensive research has been conducted to shed more light on various impacts of racial and gender discrimination, such as low self-esteem, poor performance of students at schools and employees at the workplace, as well as and low economic growth and development. Blacks also have greater health issues such as prolonged depression, increased suicides, more AIDS and a reduced sense of personal achievement, along with a much higher death rate for many of the leading causes of premature demise (Williams 2001). Many research studies have also been conducted to determine the best possible solutions to solve problems related to these effects of discrimination. However, very little research has ever been conducted to determine how racial and gender discrimination has adversely aff ected the economic capabilities of African-American women. With this in mind, this research study hypothesizes that gender and race are the major sources of discrimination and have the most difficult effects on the economic capabilities of African-American women. ... A new aim of recent research studies by economists studying the labor market has been to determine the implications of racial discrimination for victims and other members of that particular race. For example, racial discrimination against African-Americans is known to reduce possibilities of employment in many multinational organizations. Furthermore, previous studies have found that discrimination mostly results from gender differences, amongst other factors. However, these past research studies have failed to determine the various effects of racial and gender discrimination on economic opportunities available to African-American women. Therefore, there is a great need to study the adverse effects of discrimination on economic opportunities available to African-American women. Sellers and Shelton (2008) argue that African-American women are at greater risk of gender discrimination due to social stereotypes, unequal income distribution, limited rights to productive inputs, such as cr edit facilities or financial loans, property ownership, and management of earned income as well as other race-related biases. By definition, racial discrimination refers to an act of maltreating an individual or a group of individuals based on their race. For example, an African-American woman may not be warmly welcomed in activities of a local church that is dominated by white Americans due to her skin color. Puhl et al.’s (2008) definition of racial discrimination usually includes distinction, restriction, or preference of an individual based on his or her skin color, race, or ethnic origin. This paper aims to examine what the effects of discrimination based on gender and race is like for

Engineering semulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering semulation - Essay Example There are four tasks to be done: first is to show how to plot a specific behaviour of a system; the second task is about choosing the suitable time step for the simulation; in the third task I have to find the best spring stiffness, under certain speed and the last task is to describe the experience of using COSMOSMOTIONS and highlighting its advantages and disadvantages This sub-assembly has two rocker arms, two valves and a camshaft. It has to be analyzed. The least contact force between the rocker and the camshaft is to be found by varying (changing) the spring stiffness. I deleted the lower parts of the complex system as seen in the picture. If it was included, the program will take too much time to calculate such a complex system. For task 1 to plot the contact force, linear velocity and linear acceleration charts, the motor speed was kept at 100 rpm. This is the linear velocity chart. The chart shows the rocker speed first rises up as the rocker rises and reaches a point where the speed becomes zero. Then speed starts decreasing while the rocker is retrieving its position. This motion is periodic and is repeated continuously. Task two: controlling the accuracy in the simulation. The size of the time step is an important factor which affects the error in the simulation. Larger time step increases the error and a very small time step will cause the simulation program to take too much time to calculate; a suitable time step is to be chosen. The program has 98.7% probability that it’s accurate and the 2.3% probability is for a value between 317 and the first 42 value on the force chart. I select the second accurate time step which is 0.00001 for the best efficiency and results in the minimum time. Choosing smaller time step will take more time to calculate, without any improvement in accuracy: Task 2 ends here. For task 3, I set motor speed to 7800 rpm and find

Conceptual Blending Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conceptual Blending - Assignment Example This paper will base its focus on identifying the first concept that will be appropriate for the process from a selected reference point. Secondly, it will give the other concept whose fusion with the first will bring out the third and final concept. The second concept will also be from a selected source on a reference manual. The last part of this paper will highlight the concept blending process bringing out the new applicable concept. It will include illustrations to try to bring out the aspects required in a more clear and visual way. In essence, all institutions or organizations are organized systems. This means that the departments within it are interrelated and rely on each other for the overall well functioning of the institution. In addition, there are two systems popularly visible in an organizational structure. First, there is the open system whose main influence is the outside surroundings and is the most reckoned system. People within this form of system tend to be accepting to outside forces therefore not limiting their level of interaction with the outside surrounding. Secondly, there is the closed system whose focus is on those within the organizations borders. These systems have reserved nature with limited outside communication to its environs there fore making it less privileged to what its surroundings have to offer. In this regard, the ideal first concept for this paper would be the open system that is easier to work with. An illustration at this point would be useful to paint the picture that th is point puts across. In identifying the second concept, immediacy would be the ideal choice for this. Immediacy is the level of percept of physical attachment between individuals working in an organization. This would involve the office sitting arrangement, eye contact ability of the employees while at their workstations and also the general

Engineering semulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering semulation - Essay Example There are four tasks to be done: first is to show how to plot a specific behaviour of a system; the second task is about choosing the suitable time step for the simulation; in the third task I have to find the best spring stiffness, under certain speed and the last task is to describe the experience of using COSMOSMOTIONS and highlighting its advantages and disadvantages This sub-assembly has two rocker arms, two valves and a camshaft. It has to be analyzed. The least contact force between the rocker and the camshaft is to be found by varying (changing) the spring stiffness. I deleted the lower parts of the complex system as seen in the picture. If it was included, the program will take too much time to calculate such a complex system. For task 1 to plot the contact force, linear velocity and linear acceleration charts, the motor speed was kept at 100 rpm. This is the linear velocity chart. The chart shows the rocker speed first rises up as the rocker rises and reaches a point where the speed becomes zero. Then speed starts decreasing while the rocker is retrieving its position. This motion is periodic and is repeated continuously. Task two: controlling the accuracy in the simulation. The size of the time step is an important factor which affects the error in the simulation. Larger time step increases the error and a very small time step will cause the simulation program to take too much time to calculate; a suitable time step is to be chosen. The program has 98.7% probability that it’s accurate and the 2.3% probability is for a value between 317 and the first 42 value on the force chart. I select the second accurate time step which is 0.00001 for the best efficiency and results in the minimum time. Choosing smaller time step will take more time to calculate, without any improvement in accuracy: Task 2 ends here. For task 3, I set motor speed to 7800 rpm and find

Greed, Need and Money, Walter Williams Essay Example for Free

Greed, Need and Money, Walter Williams Essay In the article entitled, Greed, Need and Money, Walter Williams presents his take on the economics and logic of keeping CEOs highly paid. He essentially argues that these huge â€Å"golden parachutes† and corporate salaries are justified by return that these companies get in return. Just because a CEO gets a high salary does not mean that he does not deserve it or do anything to help the company recover that value. By comparing this to a simple supply and demand model, Walter Williams is able to show that the reason the salaries are so high is because the demand is high as well and supply is pretty scarce. One manner by which the mention of the word greed can be applied to the economic lessons that have been discussed is to juxtapose this to the application of greed as an economic theory. Greed can be said to be the primal instinct for self-preservation of people. In an attempt to protect one’s self, man seeks only to pursue his individual interests without care for the well-being of others. In relation to economics, this pursuit of individual interests is greed or the pursuit of economic self-interests, otherwise known as individual wealth accumulation. Greed as a driving force is not an entirely new concept as it was originally part of the Invisible Hand theory introduced by Adam Smith. The basic precept of the invisible hand is that in a free market a person who chooses to be greedy and pursue his own interests in invariably also furthering the good of the entire community. A perfect example is in a situation where a person seeks to maximize his personal profits in total disregard of other factors. By applying the Invisible Hand theory of Adam Smith, it can be shown that when the total revenue of society is calculated this becomes identical to the summation of the individual revenues of every member of that society. In order to arrive at a better understanding of how greed, which is a key concept under the Invisible Hand Theory, both drives and regulates capitalist markets, it is essential to have a brief discussion of the basic supply and demand model. This is because production is driven by the willingness of the seller to supply and the basic goal of every seller is to increase profits (greed). This can be understood from two approaches, however, the first being profit maximization through an increase in the volume of units sold (assuming ceteris paribus) and the second being profit maximization through a decrease in the cost of the factors of production which in turn increases the profit margins per unit sold. The basic supply-demand model becomes critical in this understanding because under the market model sales will only willingly occur at the equilibrium point. The price level of a good essentially is determined by the point at which quantity supplied equals quantity demanded. The law of supply and demand predicts that the price level will move toward the point that equalizes quantities supplied and demanded. Greed is crucial in this sense because it is the basic assumption or behavior under this model. Without greed, there would be no drive for the individuals in society to pursue their own self-interests. The absence of this driving mechanism would mean that there will be no individual revenues and thus leading to the failure of the community revenue to equalize with its summation. This basically means that society’s scarce resources become more efficiently allocated through the regulatory nature of greed in capitalist markets. While the Invisible Hand theory has already been rejected as an acceptable economic model by the works of John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman, the more complex markets of today have shown that the pursuit of self-interests, while natural of human behavior, must be regulated by external systems in order to ensure a more equitable and efficient allocation of resources. This means that greed is not necessarily good in today’s current economic situation. As used in this discussion and in the article, this greed may not only be the effect of supply and demand but the pursuits of an individual’s self-interests for the improvement of the economic system.

Conflict Between Staff And Management Management Essay

Conflict Between Staff And Management Management Essay Within corporations one of the most common forms of conflict occurs between management and staff. This conflict arises when both groups are trying to fulfill the same desire, self-interest. If both parties are concerned with the overall result, it could be presumptuous to think that no conflict or controversy could arise in the given situation. However, for management to improve the company position and consequently, their own position, they need to maximize profit. Often the methods used by companies to undergo such a change would include: a lower distribution of wages, less benefits for the employee, and less funding towards safety training. These methods are in direct opposition to workers, who attempt to increase their own wages and benefits in a safe environment. Due to these incompatible ideals, conflict often occurs. As a result, negotiation is required. This report outlines the reasons behind the conflict within the Aliant company in 2004, as well as the costs, attempted solu tions, and the final result. The example of Aliant is provided to give a firsthand account of the origin of conflict, possible solutions to conflict as well as issues surrounding conflict. Aliant Inc, is the Atlantic sub division of Bell Aliant, which is the largest telecommunications company in Canada. Bell Aliant was forged when Ontario and Quebecs regional wire lines were connected (Our Focus, 2010). The company boasts its integrity in accordance with social, economic, and green issues that affect our globe on a daily basis, seeking new options, innovative programs and trying to define customer service with their impressive communication systems. (About us, 2010) A list of exceptional accomplishments of Bell Aliant includes the companys new status as of 2000, as the innovative local telephone company in North America (A history of Bell Aliant, 2010). As stated in Bell Aliants timeline of their history, in 2002, one of every five Canadians was choosing Aliant telecom call service. Bell Aliant is a socially responsible company, as well as an understanding company. It is also mentioned that in 2005, when devastating news broke of the tsunami, the company provided free long distance for calls made to the countries compromised. In 2006, Aliant announced that it would be a proud sponsor of the Vancouver Olympics Games in 2010. In the following year the company worked with the Barenaked Ladies to support and fund the Winter Games. In 2007, Aliant was the first to offer unlimited, unrestricted long distance calling across Atlantic Canada. In 2008 Aliant won the gold medal at the worldwide contact center competition. And finally in 2009 the company wo n the international award for marketing innovation (A History of Bell Aliant, 2010). Bell Aliant has been a successful company in supporting its customers and their needs. Up until 2004 the company had little dispute between executive administration and the labour force. However, in the late spring of 2004 a strike broke out. The Strike took place in Nova Scotia among the union and communication representatives. They worked and trudged through a four month long strike. The terms of the employees and executive members were negotiated and mostly resolved (A History of Bell Aliant, 2010). The terms of the conflict, and the process of resolution that Bell Aliant used to eradicate the strike will be discussed in the following section. Regardless of the chemistry of a workplace, there will always be conflicting issues. These issues can arise from clashing personalities, responsibility misunderstandings and limited resources (Rau- Roster, 2000). In the case of Aliant, limited resources were the cause of the conflict, as the Aliant employees wanted a more desirable pension (Ottawa Appoints Mediator in Aliant Strike, para. 7). Pension and the rate of pay have always been a significant factor in conflict as well as with the creation of strikes. Strikes encourage employers to listen to their subordinates and resolve conflict through negotiation. Communication problems are one of the top reasons why conflict occurs. As more employees are hired by an organization, communication weakens. This is because more employees are dependent on others, and not all employees have the same knowledge capital. Conflict can also occur when two employees with different personalities work together, this is the result of the employees not h aving the motivation or incentive to correlate ideas and information, as well as the possibility of the employees having conflicting views with regard to the task at hand. We can see both causes of conflict in the Conflict Process Model. The model shows how incompatible goals, differentiation, interdependence, scarce resources, ambiguous rules and poor communication all lead to conflict in the workplace. To resolve conflict employers must choose a conflict handling style. These include using problem solving, and compromising to negotiate what the employees would like to see change in the workplace. It is recommended that employers avoid the forcing, avoiding or yielding styles. (McShane Steen, 2009) These styles could lead to further conflict because they do not resolve what the employees want. In order for conflict to be resolved in the workplace, employees must feel as if they have been acknowledged. They must also recognize their employers compromises made in negotiation. As see n with Aliant, there can be conflict in any workplace. Employees will not always get along or they may depend too much on each other. Employer and employee conflict is also very frequent, as employees always want more from their jobs. As supported by McShane and Steen (2009) the Model of Conflict Process includes sources of conflict, conflict perceptions and emotions, manifest conflict, conflict escalation and conflict outcomes (p. 261). According to CBC News Staff (2004) the employees source of conflict at Aliant was job security, pay, hours of work and benefits. They also want[ed] better health-care and pension benefits as well as limits on contracting out (Talks Resume in Contracting Out, para. 9). Evan Cronk, union negotiator, stated that he thought that they à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦went over backwards this week to get a deal but the end result was the company tabled an offer this morning that took most of what we were prepared to do but offered nothing in return (As cited by CTV News Staff, 2004, Aliant Telecommunications Workers go on strike, para. 8). Evan Cronks statement reveals his conflict perception. According to McShane and Steen (2009), conflict perceptions and emotions manifest themselves in the decisions an d behaviours of one party toward the other (p. 261). This decision on behalf of Cronk to believe that the company was offering nothing to union workers further escalated the conflict and forced the strike to carry on for months longer than (Aliant)was prepared for. McShane and Steen (2009) call these visible changes in behaviour conflict episodes (p. 261). The perception that Aliant was not willing to provide their employees with what they wanted seemed to start a visible conflict as seen through the conflict style of both Aliant and their employees. Both parties seem to have been using what McShane and Steen describe as the win-lose orientation [which is] the belief that conflicting parties are drawing from a fixed pie, so the more one party receives, the less the other party will receive (p. 264). With both parties using this style of conflict it was extremely hard for them to reach an agreement that would end the strike and save the company from losing millions of dollars. There were many negative outcomes as a result of the conflicting styles of negotiation used by both parties. The service of Aliant deteriorated greatly over the length of the strike. CTV News Staff (2004) found that Over the course of the dispute, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) which regulates Canadas phone industry received an increasing number of complaints over the deteriorating quality of service (Taking a Toll section, para. 5). The situation of Aliant employees deteriorated so much that one employee had been à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦evicted from his home, and othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦found themselves having to use community food banks (CTV news staff, 2004, Taking a Toll section, para. 6). Whilst union workers were on strike About 2,200 managers did the workOne manager in New Brunswick was injured after falling while working on a power pole. However, Aliant wouldnt provide any details on such incidents (CTV news staff, 2004, Taking a Toll Section, para. 7 ). As reported by CBC news staff (2004), The strike also caused numerous problems for people needing phone service and there were also allegations of union sabotage in June when vandals knocked out service to 250,000 people in Newfoundland and 5,000 in Nova Scotia (Deal Reached in Aliant Strike, para. 8). The low performance of workers, high stress and low morale of the company are all categorized as conflict outcomes in the Model of the Conflict Process (McShane Steen, 2009). According to the CTV News Staff (2004) the four month long Aliant strike was unsuccessful for both parties. When the employees went on strike in late April their hopes, as with most strikes, were to increase wages and benefits as well as job security(1). CBC News Staff (2004) reported that employer loses were significant. In the affected quarters over a 20 million dollar decrease in revenue was reported when compared to the same period of time in the previous year. (Ottawa Appoints Mediator in Aliant Strike, para. 2). As reported by CTV News Staff (2004) this is due, no doubt, to the fact that the companys customers thoroughly felt the impact of the strike. The customers were affected by the quality of service they received. {1} To satisfy company needs, the company was forced to train over 2000 managers to do basic duties that were usually performed by employees. This training cost the company money. The managers, who are paid higher wages, caused higher wage costs allocated to basi c customer service. Many of the employees were not ready for a strike, especially one that would last five months. They began to notice dramatic lifestyle changes as they had not seen a pay cheque for months. The union also reported that some employees were in such financial trouble because of the strike that their houses had been foreclosed on. (Ottawa Appoints Mediator in Aliant Strike, para. 2) It is clear that both management and employees view this strike as a severe failure. http://autos.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20040423/aliant_strike040423?s_name=Autosno_ads http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/08/27/aliant_040827.html McShane and Steen (2009) name communication problems as one of the main sources of conflict within organizations (p. 262). They state that conflict often occurs due to the lack of opportunity, ability, or motivation to communicate effectively (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 264). Ellen Malcolmson, Senior Vice-President- Operations, Bell Canada stated that their à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦industry has changed significantly and permanently and the union must recognize thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In such an environment, there are limits to how far the company can go and remain competitive (As cited by France Poulin, 2004, Bell Receives 72 Hours Strike Notice, para. 5). These limits, however, are somewhat ambiguous. The striking union members did not seem to know how far the company was able to go in regards to negotiations while they were à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦demanding greater job security and better pension and benefit packages (CBC News Staff, 2004, Deal Reached in Aliant Strike, para. 7) Had these limits been define d earlier in the negotiation process, it is possible that the strike would not have escalated to the magnitude it reached. Negotiation is defined as the process whereby two or more conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 269). In the case of Aliant, Federal Labour Minister Joe Fontanaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦appointed a mediator in the four-month-old strike (CBC News Staff, 2004, Ottawa Appoints Mediator in Aliant Strike, para. 1) A mediators à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦main purpose is to manage the process and context of interaction between the disputing partiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[they] have little or no control over the conflict resolution decision (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 272). This intervention worked and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦agreement [came] after five days of negotiations conducted by two federally appointed mediators (CBC News Staff, 2004, Deal Reached in Aliant Strike, para. 4) As mentioned earlier, the conflict handling style used by Aliant and union workers during the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦four-monthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦strike by 4,300 workers at Aliantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (CBC News Staff, 2004, Deal Reached in Aliant Strike, para. 1) can be compared to McShane and Steens (2004) win-lose orientation (p. 264). The win-lose orientation is affiliated with the forcing style which occurs when one side of the bargaining process tries to gain something at the expense of their opposition (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 264). Forcing is the conflict handling style with the highest risk of relationship conflict (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 266). From comparing the five conflict handling styles it can be seen that compromising may have been a better tactic during the negotiations between Aliant and their unionized workers. Aliant needed their unionized workers in order to maintain the same profit level that they had been used to, and the unionized workers needed the cooperation of Aliant in o rder to gain the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦greater job security and better pension and benefit packages (CBC News Cast, 2004, Deal Reached in Aliant Strike, para. 8) that they were seeking. Thus, it would be fair to say that both parties had fairly equal bargaining power. Compromising [is the] preferred style when parties have equal power, time pressure to solve the conflict [and when] parties lack trust/ openness for problem solving (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 266). From July 30 [alone]: the strike has cost [Aliant] $21M (CBC News Staff, 2004, Ottawa Appoints Mediator in Aliant Strike, para. 2). The time pressure component was certainly present throughout the Aliant strike as seen through the continually decreasing profits and poor living conditions of unionized workers. We rarely know for certain that mutual gains are not available, so entering into a conflict with the compromising style may cause the parties to overlook better solutions. (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 267) Even if the forcing styl e seemed most appropriate during the beginning of the conflict, due to thoughts that the other party would take advantage of more cooperative strategies (McShane Steen, 2009, p 267), it should have been noted sooner than four months that forcing was inappropriate. One of the oldest recommendations for resolving conflict is to seek out and find common goals (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 267). How could Aliant and their union workers possibly have common goals when The company and the unions are trying to reach their first contract since the phone companies of Atlantic Canada merged to form Aliant in 1999 [?]. Thats meant trying to transform nine collective agreements into one (CTV News Staff, 2004, Aliant Telecommunication Workers go on Strike, para. 13). Common goals generally increase employees commitment to the organization and reduce conflicting goals within different segments of the company, which in turn could make employees happier and reduce the risk of strikes while increasing the ability to compromise effectively (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 267). Aliant should have made a more concerted effort to establish common goals within the organization so that employees would feel a sense of unity with the company. This may have decreased aggressiven ess between management and their subordinates. Time Passage and Deadlines are mentioned as being an important situational influence on negotiations. (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 271) One problem is that time pressure inhibits a problem-solving conflict management style, because the parties have less time to exchange information or present flexible offers (McShane Steen, 2009, p.271). Both parties in the Aliant dispute felt a great pressure to settle the negotiations in a timely fashion. This pressure may have resulted in less concessions being made during the offering process. McShane and Steen (2009) believe that parties taking place in negotiations under time constraints usually do not have the ability to process information as well as they would under other circumstances (p. 271). The union leaders had a strict notion that the company was going to take advantage of them. This may have had an impact on the way that they viewed offers made by Aliant. The time constraint would have further enabled this conception by forcing them to think quickly and rely on their initial perceptions (McShane Steen, 2009, p. 271). Aliant could have started negotiations of a contract much earlier when they were formed in 1999, thus reducing the time constraint and the chance of a strike. As shown in the Aliant case, conflicts which arise within companies often have a much greater effect than would be thought initially. In this case, not only did the company lose money but the staff suffered financially, mentally and emotionally as they were required to rely on others such as food banks despite having a job. Management also suffered because of Aliants financial loss because of the physical and mental strain they undertook as they tried to do both their own job as well as that of their subordinates. Customers suffered because the overall quality of service dropped. Finally, all parties suffered a significant loss of trust. In order to resolve this problem the two parties were forced to enter into binding arbitration. Binding arbitration was used because other avenues of negotiation failed. These included talks with and without a mediator. The final solution was one that satisfied no one and left the chance of future conflict. Conflict exists now as it always has and it will continue to do so. People will always search for different ways to resolve conflict. Negotiation is a tool commonly used today. However, negotiation has evolved and will continue to do so. Nevertheless negotiation will always be reliant on communication. Conversation, barter, mediation, arbitration are all tools which can prevent and solve conflicts by allowing people to surpass differences in order to reach understanding.

THE WAI AND DISABLED POPULATIONS :: Essays Papers

THE WAI AND DISABLED POPULATIONS Introduction-In a world where the Internet is the fastest growing method of communication and educational resources, it should be available to all of its users. However, it seems that the creators seemed to have left out a certain group of people. This group of people would be the disabled population of the world. It might seem to the "normal person" that this is not a big issue. Contrary to what people might think it truly is. The Web Accessibility Initiative was established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Its promise is to assure all users of the web a fair and equal opportunity for people with disabilities. There are many important reasons why web accessibility is important. Not many people realize how many obstacles the web has for people with disabilities. This affects millions of people throughout the world. Some of these include visual disabilities. For example, web sites that have poorly marked-up table or frames, unlabeled graphics or undescribed videos. People with hearing disabilities also experience problems, such as lack of captioning for audio, and proliferation of text with out visual markers. Other sites on the web are also unfair for people who have cognitive or neurological disabilites. This can cause problems because of flickering or strobing graphics on pages, and highly complicated presentations and language use(Brewer). In October 1994, the W3C was created to lead the information superhighway to it's highest potential by developing a set of guidelines that ensure its evolution, accessibility and understanding by everybody. WAI is sponsored by a mixed group of government and industry supporters of accessibility. It has three different guidelines to address different needs. 1.) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. 2.) Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 3.)User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 Each guideline has specific supporting documents and resources. Some examples of this are checklists, technique documents with implementation detail, curricula, and logos. Research and development can have a major impact on the future of web accessibility. WAI plays a key role in assessing trends in implementations of accessible and inaccessible web technologies. It also helps with devoloping collaborations with research projects to promote awareness of the need for accessibility and benefits of universal design. For people with disabilites the Internet has been a "mixed blessing(Brewer)". Inaccessibility is unfair because the Internet is an excellent source for news, information, commerce, distance learning, email, voting, entertainment and even keeping in touch with family and friends.