So many people don’t realise, but it is a legal requirement that your web site is accessible.
There are 10 million people in the UK with some form of disability (source
- Disability Rights Commission). If your current web site isn't accessible,
as well as breaking the law, you could be missing out on these potential
customers.
What is an accessible website?
An accessible web site means that internet users who have visual
or motor impairments can also experience the benefits of the internet. It
means that your web site can be read by screen readers and other assistive
technology.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) makes it illegal for companies to provide an inferior service to, or discriminate against, a disabled person. This legislation extends to websites.
In April 2004 the DRC published its report of a formal investigation into 1000 websites, of which over 80% were next to impossible for disabled people to use. They issued a stern warning that organisations will face legal action under the DDA and the threat of unlimited compensation payments if they fail to make websites accessible for people with disabilities.
All the pages in this site are W3C CSS 2.0 compliant and use XHTML 1.0 Transitional.
At 3B's Studio I try to conform to the W3C Web Content Accessibility standards. Utilising CSS, I design your web site to be able to be read by a cross section of browsers and on different platforms and by various disability aids.
By conforming to the WC3 guidelines and using CSS, your site can more easily be transferred to other media such as interactive TV, mobile phones and hand held computers. Plus, compliant web sites are more search engine friendly and so can be found more easily. Basically, by conforming, everybody wins.
If your web site is not compliant or you’re not sure, I can take a look at it and advise you as to your best options.
Although no company has yet been sued in the UK, firms in both Australia and the United States have ended up in court. It’s only a matter of time before this happens in the UK too.
