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UK law and accessible websitesNew legislation regarding accessibility of websites 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.Hermish Accessibility FAQQ: 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 websites. 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 Disability Rights Commission have stated on their website 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: 2.2 (p7): “The Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.” 4.7 (p39): “From 1st October 1999 a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.” 2.13 - 2.17 (p11-13): “What services are affected by the Act? An airline company provides a flight reservation and booking service to the public on its website. This is a provision of a service and is subject to the act.” 5.23 (p71): “For people with visual impairments, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include ... accessible websites.” 5.26 (p68): “For people with hearing disabilities, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include ... accessible websites.” Q: Does the part 3 of the Discrimination Act refer only to internet service providers? A: When the Disability Rights Commission 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 websites. Q: Could a website 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 websites. 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 website. Q: Could a website be shut down? A: There is speculation about website 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 website accessible? A: The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility guidelines provide a clearly defined set of instruction on making a website 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 Website must comply to Priority 1 and should pass Priority 2. The current misconception is that once priority 1 has been established a website is accessible. This is not true, Priority 1 only makes a website 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 website has been optimised for web accessibility? A: Hermish offer a paid service that monitors your website on a weekly basis indicating where detectable violations have occurred. It is also down to the website designer to make sure that content is readable and easily understood. For more information read the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50). Discover how the October 2004 deadline will affect you. |