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ICT Hub Newsletter > October 2005 > Article: "Serving your community with an accessible website" It has been a legal requirement to have an accessible website since 1999, but many voluntary sector organisations need additional support to find out how best to do this. Access to specialist advice is now available free of charge to VCS organisations through the ICT Hub. Robin Christopherson, Web Consultancy Manager for AbilityNet, explains why this is so important… There are nearly 9 million people with a disability in the UK, another 10 million have dyslexia and many millions more have literacy difficulties. The growing number of so called 'silver surfers' would suggest a corresponding increase in those with failing eyesight and conditions associated with old age, like arthritis. Their combined disposable income has been estimated at £120 billion. Whether the key focus in an organisation is how to best meet the needs of volunteers, staff or service users, the bottom line is this: An accessible site is good for the public as a whole - whether disabled or 'able-bodied'. Compelling business case The business case is compelling if one considers that the competitive advantage can increase the usability of your site by up to 35% * for every visitor - meaning all of your visitors can access the information and services made available on your website. When we seek information on-line, we are seeking critical functionality - namely speed and efficiency - not a life-changing experience. On-line transactions, such as making donations, are also becoming far more widely used, and will be less effective if many visitors are simply unable to use them. Accessible sites are simply easier and more intuitive to use: they improve productivity for everyone. The Disability Discrimination Act demands that organisations must deliver goods and services via their websites to disabled people on an equal basis to other visitors and that they must make 'reasonable adjustments' to achieve this objective. In other words, a website must be as accessible as your premises. Organisations with tight budgets may be concerned that an accessible website would be more costly to produce - this is actually not the case, as most accessible design is about making information available in formats to suit all visitors. Accessibility neither expensive nor time-consuming Web designers need to be aware of the vast numbers of disabled people who use specialist technologies to browse the Internet such as screen reading equipment and voice recognition software, as well as many more who are reliant on the keyboard rather than the mouse for navigating the screen as well as for pointing and clicking. Catering to the needs of these users however, need be neither expensive nor time consuming. AbilityNet does not encourage the development of so called 'access' sites, which run in tandem with a 'mainstream' version. This tendency is divisive, expensive and ultimately, unnecessary. Accessibility should be a 'win-win' situation for everyone. Tesco, for example, found that many fully-sighted people found their simply and effectively designed Access site offered them a better user experience than any other supermarket website (including their own mainstream version). Developed for vision impaired shoppers, it now takes in excess of £13 million a year and attracts a much wider audience than was originally intended. There is no reason why a site cannot be both accessible and professional. Top Five Sins Choose a site at random and chances are it will present significant barriers to accessibility, the most common of which are:
AbilityNet's five point strategy:
Over the past four years, AbilityNet has audited the websites of over 100 organisations including Microsoft, BBC, Sony, Citizen's Advice Bureau, HSBC and Lloyds TSB. We are members of the EuroAccessibility Consortium and work with the Disability Rights Commission, as well as Government on accessibility issues. We offer a comprehensive range of accessibility and usability services from a range of AAA templates and full build service to training, audits and disabled user testing. As part of the ICT Hub, we are currently offering 150 free overview web tests and free telephone advice and support to VCS organisations. To access these services, please email a request to enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk or ring 0800 269 545 and ask to speak with a member of the Web Accessibility Team, mentioning that you wish to use the services of the ICT Hub. Resources The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People - DRC Press Office
or http://www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/report.asp |
