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