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Accessibility
The web is a wonderfully empowering medium for so many people.
However, for many, access to the internet is difficult. We strive
to design sites that are accessible to the widest range of individuals
– the blind, those with impaired vision, those with motor
impairments.
Read the Accessibility Policy
for this site
It's Not Just a Good Thing to do...
It's also the law. There are obviously strong moral reasons
to ensure that the internet lives up to its potential to be
a leveler and allow people with disabilities to access its resources.
However, there is now legislation
(in the UK, this is part of the Disability Discrimination Act
and in the US its Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act) to
enforce this.
Here are some quotes from the
DRC Code of Practice:
- 2.2 (p7): "The Disability Discrimination 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
Disability Discrimination 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."
And it's Also Good for Business
This may seem very onerous to businesses who are trying to establish
a presence on the internet. But, as it happens, there is
a good business case for ensuring that your site
is accessible. Rather than regurgitate it, we'll let the
Web Accessibility Initiative say it for themselves.
What Next?
If you have an existing site, we're very happy to
evaluate it for accessibility. We also include accessibility
tips in our newsletters.