New legislation regarding accessibility of web sites has not been clearly defined and is currently difficult to gain all the facts. Hermish hopes to dispel any doubts by providing this Web Accessibility FAQ.
Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about web accessibility issues, when did this first begin?
A: October 1st 1999 heralded the first step of the Disability Discrimination Act regarding web sites This was followed by a code of practice released on the 27th May 2002.
Q: When is web accessibility legislation coming into force?
A: The DRC have stated on their web site that October 2004 will commence the final stage of part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Q: What exactly does this new law state?
A: Passages taken from Disability Discrimination Act refer to the provision of goods, facilities and their services:
Q: Does the part 3 of the Discrimination Act refer only to internet service providers?
A: When the DRC refer to 'service providers' it should not be confused with the internet. This part of the document refers to physical arrangements for disabled people and does not relate to web sites
Q: Could a web site owner get sued for non-compliance of the accessibility act?
A: Technically, yes. According to the Royal National Institute of the Blind causes have already been taken against several non-accessible web sites This is believed to increase once the final stage of the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force.
Q: What evidence is available regarding the web accessibility and prosecution?
A: A blind man successfully sued the Sydney Olympics organisation committee over the inaccessibility of their web site
Q: Could a web site be shut down?
A: There is speculation about web site owners that refuse to make their site accessible despite prosecution. There is no concrete proof to this but it is a possibility and I’m sure such cases could emerge after October 2004.
Q: What action is required to make a web site accessible?
A: The W3C Web Accessibility guidelines provide a clearly defined set of instruction on making a web site accessible. Hermish was designed to operate in accordance to the W3C Web Accessibility guidelines. We also offer a web accessibility service whereby we do the work for you. You may make an enquiry via our contact form on the contact page.
Generally a Web site must comply to Priority 1 and should pass Priority 2. The current misconception is that once priority 1 has been established a web site is accessible. This is not true, Priority 1 only makes a web site accessible to a small proportion of disabled people. Both Hermish and the European Union recommend that both Priority 1 and 2 be established to maximise accessibility. Nevertheless, where possible try to gain the Priority 3 level.
Q: How do you maintain web accessibility once a web site has been optimised for web accessibility?
A: Hermish offer a paid service that monitors your web site on a weekly basis indicating where detectable violations have occurred. It is also down to the web site designer to make sure that content is readable and easily understood.
For more information read the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50).
Find out about the October 2004 Disability Discrimination Act.