A new law takes effect today in the US that requires all web
sites run by federal government agencies to ensure their sites can
be accessed by people with disabilities without difficulty.
However, as the law takes effect, government officials in the US
have admitted that few federal agencies fully comply with the new
requirements at the moment.
The new law says that government web sites must be compatible
with software tools used by blind or deaf people. A simple example
of making a site more accessible is to use ALT tags for graphics
used in a site’s design. These HTML tags provide alternative text
to describe the graphics that cannot be viewed by the blind. In
addition, computer keyboards in federal buildings must accommodate
people with limited arm movement. Any agency failing to comply
risks being sued by disabled individuals unable to use the
services. The new law does not require US manufacturers or
developers to meet the requirements.
In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act contains rules on
making sites reasonably accessible by the disabled and all UK sites
should comply, though few actually meet the recommended levels. To
date, the provisions, which came into force in 1999, have not been
enforced. OUT-LAW.COM will be providing further information on
these requirements in the near future.
