accessible web sites

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Making web sites accessible for as many users as possible has recently become a hot topic in web design.

81% of UK web sites fail

A survey published in 2004 on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission showed that 81% of UK web sites failed to achieve even the lowest grade ("A") in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) produced by the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). See the full survey report (PDF 407 kb: "The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People - A formal investigation conducted by the Disability Rights Commission").

why is accessibility important?

Many users may have disabilities that either require them to use special devices to browse the internet (e.g. screen readers used by blind users) or whose use of standard web browsers is limited in some way (e.g. users with some impairment of sight who may still use a standard web browser like Internet Explorer). Web sites can be designed to facilitate access by a range of non-standard browsers (or "assistive technologies"). Careful web design can also provide those using standard browsers more flexibility e.g. by allowing them to re-size text to a larger size for users with some visual impairment.

what are the guidelines?

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has published guidelines for web design to help make sites accessible to the widest range of users. There are 3 levels of conformance: A (the lowest level), AA and AAA (the highest level).

are there legal issues?

Accessibility of web sites is part of a wider movement to provide equal access for disabled individuals to shops, restaurants and other services. This movement has resulted in some legal cases, which have tested how far providers of services have to go to provide equal access.

Extracts from the survey mentioned above:

"Organisations that offer goods and services on the Web already have a legal duty to make their sites accessible." - Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission
"In Great Britain, Part 3 of the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act 1995) requires providers of goods, facilities and services to avoid the less favourable treatment of disabled people and also to make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to any practices, policies or procedures which make it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of the services they provide. Insofar as a website in itself constitutes a service, or is the primary medium for the delivery of a service, it will therefore be covered by Part 3 of the Act."
"In the USA, the 1998 amendment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act has proved a powerful incentive to compliance with the Guidelines since it requires that all federal agencies must ensure that their electronic and information technology is accessible to disabled people whenever those agencies develop, procure, maintain or use such technology. The public debate about the "digital divide" has also been accompanied by litigation (not always successful) under the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA)"
"Internationally, the Australian case of Maguire v The Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games found that the Committee had been in breach of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992 by failing to provide a website to which Mr Maguire could have access."

what's in it for me?

The bottom line is that the disabled represent a substantial market. Because they may have reduced mobility, they may well rely heavily on the internet for information, communication and shopping. Making your web site accessible can help open up this substantial market for your business.

good accessibility is good for everyone!

The same 2004 survey referred to above also noted that accessible web sites bring benefits for all users - whether disabled or not:

47% longer to complete tasks on a "low accessibility site" than on a "high accessibility site" for non-disabled users

It is clear that many of the techniques used to provide improved accessibility can also make your web site easier and quicker to use for everyone.

interact's approach

We will discuss accessibility with you when we take your brief for a web design project. Generally, our sites will at least achieve level "A" conformance against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, but we should be able to achieve higher grades providing you let us know your requirements at the initial briefing.

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