The computing and disability charity evaluated 10 sites for both usability and accessibility using a series of both manual checks and automated tools. Not one of them achieved the minimum three stars (on AbilityNet's five star scale) required to meet the needs of visitors with a vision impairment, dyslexia or physical problem making mouse use difficult.
All the sites reviewed were invited to make a public commitment to accessibility and to date, Fortnum & Mason, Hotel Chocolat, IwantOneOfThose.com and NeedAPrsent.com, have pledged to improve standards. The remaining retailers, Amazon.co.uk, CD-Wow, Gadget Shop, LastMinute.com, Toy Centre and Wine Online, did not respond.
The results are broadly in line with findings from earlier AbilityNet surveys into web sites operated by premiership football clubs, leading airlines, newspapers, banks and supermarkets.
Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet's Web Consultancy Manager, himself blind, said:
"It is illegal to bar disabled visitors from on-line services offered to the general public. Whilst no organisation would knowingly impose a 'technological lock-out' on their disabled customers, it is clear that there is still much scope for improvement."
Christopherson and his team encountered the same problems as in previous studies.
Text size on some sites, particularly for headings and links is 'hard-coded' so that it cannot be easily enlarged – so vital for many visitors who have a vision impairment. With some sites offering small text and others carrying a watermark, effective access for this group is made very difficult.
The text labels attached to images upon which blind visitors and text browser users rely for an explanation are often uninformative or completely absent. Without these spoken labels on graphical links, navigation for a blind visitor is pure guesswork. "Imagine trying to drive to your destination where exits at each junction are left blank," said Christopherson.
Pictures of text are often used instead of actual text. This not only means that the user cannot modify the text size or colour contrast – essential for those with a vision impairment or dyslexia – it also prevents screen reader users from reading the content when – as so frequently happens – these images are left unlabelled.
Some sites contain adverts and features made up of moving images that will be distracting for visitors with a cognitive impairment, or interactive presentations known as 'Flash Movies' which can present access problems for visitors who cannot use a mouse, are vision impaired or who use speech output or voice recognition software.
Most of the sites are reliant on mini programs embedded in the page called JavaScript. People using older browsers, those with vision impairments using some special browsers and users whose organisations disable JavaScript for security reasons, will not be able to access the sites fully – links to the main sections do not appear or the search and shopping cart facilities do not operate fully.
These sites exclude a hugely valuable potential market comprising 1.6 million vision impaired users, 1.5 million people with cognitive difficulties, a further 3.4 million with disabilities preventing them from using the standard keyboard, screen and mouse set-up with ease, some 6 million with dyslexia and many millions with literacy difficulties, not to mention the increasing number of elderly 'silver surfers' with failing eyesight or arthritis. The total spending power of this group is now estimated at over £120 billion a year, according to AbilityNet.
When retailers are bemoaning tight profit margins and a lean Christmas, they ignore this significant slice of the market at their peril, said the charity.
Of the sites sampled, Amazon.co.uk, Hotel Chocolat and NeedAPresent.com obtained a two star ranking and the rest obtained a single star.
Christopherson added:
"At AbilityNet we subscribe to the opinion that an organisation's web site can and should be accessible to the broadest audience possible. Recently published research by The Disability Rights Commission shows that able – bodied visitors also benefit from accessible web sites, finding them easier and quicker to use by a very significant factor of 35%, so the commercial argument is overwhelming. When we seek information, services or goods on-line, we are seeking critical functionality – namely speed and efficiency – not a life-changing experience. Accessible sites are simply easier and more intuitive to use: they improve productivity for everyone."
Shuna Kennedy, AbilityNet's chief executive, added:
"The vision of an inclusive 'e-society' depends on web site accessibility for everyone, whatever their disability or the technology they employ. Cyberspace contains just as many barriers to participation as the physical world, but this need not be the case. With only 9% of web site developers claiming any real understanding of access issues – we're asking for commitment to change, supported by education and awareness."
Editor's Note: We are conscious that the accessibility of OUT-LAW.COM is poor. This is currently being addressed in a complete re-build of the site. We would welcome your input, if you are willing to provide informal comment on what you like or don't like as we move forward with our design and development. If you'd like to learn more about how you can participate, please e-mail me: [email protected].