Web Accessability
The government, in association with the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), has started to put a framework in place that provides accessibility to the contents of the world wide web for people with disabilities, as detailed in the Disability Act 1999. Therefore, in future, the way that websites are built will need to change.
Essentially, those with a disability will need to be catered for, with changes to the way that websites are produced. For example, each element of a website page will require a basic written description. Therefore, if the web page contains the picture from above, it would need to have an embedded description saying "There is a picture of a large neon open sign reflected in a window. The sign is glowing red against the back-drop of a clear blue sky - it is a warm sunny evening." That way, for example, anyone who is visually impaired can use an audio reader which would describe the image to them out loud.
Although it sounds incredible, companies who fail to comply with the new regulations could face the distinct possibility of having their site shut down.
There are 3 levels of compliance called ‘Priorities’ – of which Priority 1 (as exampled above) is a minimum requirement
The Disability Discrimination Act places the onus of responsibility upon website owners and not the web designers. For some web designers the task of helping their clients to conform maybe daunting: for others that have the experience and skill it will be relatively easy.
For all web design firms that meet the challenge (knowledge and skill requirement) they will enjoy more business opportunities as awareness amongst buyers increases.
This is a guide for web designers and webmasters for where to find help.
The Law