What is accessibility?
The accessibility of web sites covers much more than just
disabled access. It’s about giving people unhindered access to a
web site from various devices, such as web-enabled televisions,
mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants). It’s also
about giving access to users who have different screen sizes,
browser types and settings, or those who do not have plug-ins such
as Flash.
What is disabled access?
For those with disabilities such as sensory or mobility
problems, the internet can be a mixed blessing. Home shopping, for
example, can be invaluable to those for whom busy streets present a
difficult challenge. However, in much the same way as a building
may be problematic to the physically disabled, a web site may also
present barriers to access.
For example, a visually impaired internet user might use a
refreshable Braille display and web browser. The user will struggle
to understand web pages if, for example, images are displayed on
the page without a text alternative (which can be provided in HTML
by an ALT tag).
This example is commonly cited when discussing disabled access.
Bear in mind that visual impairment describes a wide range of
problems including those who are registered blind, those who are
colour blind or those who suffer from tunnel vision or cataracts.
There are also those with motor disabilities, cognitive
disabilities and other impairments. Barriers to access by
individuals suffering any such disabilities can be interpreted as
discrimination.
What does the law say?
The UK Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 states that it is
unlawful for “a provider of services” to discriminate against a
disabled person in failing to comply with its provisions. There is
some ambiguity because the wording of the Act does not specifically
mention on-line services - but the consensus was that it could be
applied to web sites.
The draft Code, which was yesterday endorsed by the publication
of the official Code, specifically refers to the application of the
Act to on-line services.
In explaining the services which a business should make
accessible to people with hearing or visual disabilities, the Code
cites “accessible web sites” among its examples. Further, in giving
examples of services affected by the Act, the Code states:
“An airline company provides a flight
reservation and booking service to the public on its web site. This
is a provision of a service and is subject to the Act.”
What standard is required?
Nobody knows for certain what level of disabled access is
required of UK web sites. The legal obligation requires only
reasonable efforts to make a site compliant. However, there is
consensus that the best practice is to comply at least with a
minimum accessibility level defined by the World Wide Web
Consortium, or W3C. This standards-setting body was founded in 1994
by Tim Berners-Lee, the man credited with inventing the web.
The W3C provides three “conformance levels,” known as Priority
1, 2 and 3 (they are also known as Levels A, AA and AAA). According
to the W3C, a web site must satisfy Priority 1, otherwise some
users will find it impossible to access the site. The W3C considers
that a web site should satisfy Priority 2, otherwise some users
will find it difficult to access the site. Finally, a site may
satisfy Priority 3, otherwise some users will find it somewhat
difficult to access the site.
To date, there has been no such legal action in the UK. However,
it is widely anticipated that a test case against a non-compliant
site will come before the UK courts in the near future. Clearly,
this is a battle which any business will want to avoid. To be safe,
your web site should, as a minimum, comply with Level A / Priority
1.
