Accessible websites.

Accessibility

Accessibility means designing a web site that blind, visually impared, those with reading difficulties (including dyslexia) and phyically handicapped people can use.

In the United Kingdom the Disablities Discrimination Act 1995 applies. The wording sets no limit to the scope and so does apply to all web sites without limit. Work in this area is being championed by the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind).

In the USA the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act has led to regulations referred to as Section 508. These regulations are compulsory only in respect of USA Federal Government Supplies (GSA). Click here to see the Section 508 "Voluntary Product Accessibility Template" declaration for WebSempster.

How can a blind person browse a web site?

Specially adapted computers can read pages to a blind person. Portset Systems Limited manufacture these.

WebSempster avoids the use of features that prevent such equipment delivering an inteligible rendition of the site.

What about a visually impaired user?

These users will probably turn off java applets, images, style sheets and perhaps javascript too. They will locally set the browser colours to high contrast and fonts to a large size. WebSempster uses coding techniques that enable this to be done.

What about reading difficulties?

These users will be able to clearly see "words" in the screen but have difficulty making sense of what they see, or remembering the begining of the sentence by the time they have interpretted the end of the sentence. Figures of 4% ~ 10% of the population are effected by literacy problems.

... and physically handicapped users?

Mouse-less / keyboard only operation and even hands-free operation is possible provided the site is programmed with these features.

Where can I see an example of an accessible WebSempster site?

Click here to view the Fareham Wine Cellar website. This is one of only two retailers given the RNIB's "See IT Right" plaudit.

How can I check if a site is accessible?

The following tools are free, but please take into account that their algorithms may not be perfect:

Use the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) validator.
Use the free on-line Crunchy Technologies "PageScreamer" service to check against three different standards.
Use the free on-line HiSoftware service to check five pages.
Use the Bobby test at the Center for Applied Special Technology.
Use the A_Prompt utility from the University of Toronto.

Where else can I find out about accessiblity issues?

Up coming: Applied Improv in New York: September 2005.

'Law or not, Web access to disabled is wise move, experts say' by Michelle Cater Rash in The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area, 1st November 2004.
New York State to make web sites accessible to the blind and visually impaired: New York State Attorney General announcement 19 August 2004.
'Websites - Are you helping the disabled?' by Taylor Walton in The Register.
'Making your website accessible' by Juliet Owen of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
'Section 508 & Software Documentation' by Mike Unwalla of TechScribe.
'Web Content Accessibility Guidelines' of the W3C.
IBM's Accessibility Center.
UK Disability Rights Commission's first Formal Investigation announced. (Thursday, 27 March, 2003)
BBC 'dot.life' article Websites blind to disabled need. (Monday, 9 December, 2002)
Sydney Olympics accessibility complaint: Maguire vs. SOCOG.
Internet browser that speaks web pages and provides POP3 email facilities for the visually impaired: Portset WebTalk.
Plug-in for MS-IE that speaks web pages (Freeware): Simply Web 2000.
'Web Accessibility Information Sites' page of the State of Arkansas.
'Assistive Technology' pages of the University of Kentucky.