What is accessiblity? A short explanation.

The Internet can present barriers to certain people, especially those with sensory or neurological disabilities. Many websites are designed in such a way that they only work in the most popular browser, and it is often taken for granted that users are accessing the Internet from a standard Desktop PC. This means many users, in particular the disabled, do not have the same level of access to websites.

In 1997 the World Wide Web Consortium implemented the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) to ensure that Web site design addresses the needs of people with disabilities. However, despite it´s long existence, many Web sites are still not designed to encompass the recommendations outlined in the WAI, which means they may not comply with UK law.

Accessibility and UK Law

The law regarding website accessibilty came into force on 1st October 1999. In April 2004 it was reported that 81 per cent of UK websites failed to meet even the most basic accessibility requirements for disabled people, which means that the majority of websites do not comply with the law.

In March 2003 the Disability Rights Commision (DRC) launched a formal investigation into 1000 websites with a key aim being to identify recurrent barriers to web access and to help site owners and developers recognise and avoid them. The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) have also considered taking up a number of legal cases against organizations with regard to their websites.

Accessibility benefits everyone

Accessibilty does not only benefit Disabled users of the internet. Not everyone uses a PC to access the internet. Many people can now access websites from PDA´s, Smartphones, and other technologies which don´t use modern browsers found on most PC´s.

When a website is designed with high levels of Accessibility it means the largest possible number of vistors can access the information or services, regardless of which technology is used or disability.