| So let's get straight to the point. Is your | | | | able-bodied person. Thus, where a retailer |
| website breaking the law? Well, in October | | | | offers an e-commerce facility in addition to |
| 2004 we reached the deadline of the | | | | its high street shop, if the Web site is |
| Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), 1995 in | | | | inaccessible then the disabled person will be |
| which the DDA ordered service providers to | | | | unable to enjoy the convenience of home |
| make "reasonable adjustments" to the physical | | | | shopping and will thus be subject to a lower |
| features of their premises to ensure the | | | | standard of service. " |
| services they provide are accessible to | | | | |
| people with disabilities. | | | | Source: Martin Sloan ( |
| | | | |
| The 175 page code of practice for the DDA | | | | With the legal side of things out of the way |
| published in May 2002 specifically mentions | | | | there are a number of important benefits to |
| websites. The relevant sections are included | | | | building an accessible website. There are 8.6 |
| below. | | | | million registered disabled people in the UK |
| | | | , totaling 14% of the population (Source: |
| 2.13 - 2.17 (p11-13): "What services are | | | | Disability Rights Commission). Two million |
| affected by the Disability Discrimination | | | | people in the UK have sight problems and 9% |
| Act? An airline company provides a flight | | | | have some form of colour blindness (Source: |
| reservation and booking service to the public | | | | Institution of Electrical Engineers). There |
| on its website. This is a provision of a | | | | are also 12 million people aged 60 or over, |
| service and is subject to the act." | | | | some 21% of the UK population (Source: UK |
| | | | Government). This eventually means that 48% |
| 5.23 (p71): "For people with visual | | | | of the population of the UK, not to mention |
| impairments, the range of auxiliary aids or | | | | those of other countries could potentially |
| services which it might be reasonable to | | | | face problems using a website that does not |
| provide to ensure that services are | | | | comply with accessibility |
| accessible might include ... accessible | | | | guidelines.Therefore producing an accessible |
| websites." | | | | website could gain you important commercial |
| | | | benefits in the shape of many new customers. |
| 5.26 (p68): "For people with hearing | | | | |
| disabilities, the range of auxiliary aids or | | | | Accessibility is closely linked to the other |
| services which it might be reasonable to | | | | standards covered in this section, so much so |
| provide to ensure that services are | | | | that the W3C launched the Web Accessibility |
| accessible might include ... accessible | | | | Initiative (WAI) in order to advise web |
| websites." | | | | agencies of strategies to achieve compliance. |
| | | | |
| To elaborate on this some more. | | | | The WAI offers three standardized levels of |
| | | | access, from the readily achieved (Priority |
| "The duty not to refuse or deliberately not | | | | 1), to one that requires slightly more work |
| provide a service could apply in a case where | | | | (Priority 2), to a master level (Priority 3). |
| a service provider has deliberately chosen | | | | Creative Eye can achieve all of the above |
| not to integrate accessibility into his Web | | | | |
| site. This might include where a Flash movie | | | | "I own a B2B company and the DDA doesn't |
| is used, but there is no option for a user | | | | apply to me" I hear you say. Well there are |
| with a screen reader to skip it. | | | | some great reasons for designing with |
| | | | accessibility in mind. Accessibility and web |
| ... A service provider must not provide a | | | | standards are so closely linked that many of |
| lower standard of service to a disabled | | | | the benefits cross over. |
| person, compared to that offered to an | | | | |