Spider Trax

Formal Investigation To Focus On Web Access

One thousand websites will be investigated for their ability to be accessed by Britain’s 8.5 million disabled people in the Disability Rights Commission’s first Formal Investigation later this year.

A key aim of the investigation will be to identify recurrent barriers to web access and to help site owners and developers recognise and avoid them.

The investigation will break new ground in its breadth and depth. 1,000 web sites spanning the public and private sectors will be tested for basic compliance with recognised industry accessibility standards. In addition, 50 disabled people will be involved in in-depth testing of a representative sample of these sites for practical usability. This work will help clarify the relationship between a site’s compliance with standards and its practical usability for disabled people.

Organisations which offer goods and services on the web already have a legal duty to make their sites accessible under the UK Disability Discrimination Act. The Disability Rights Commission is empowered by the Disability Rights Commission Act 1999 to instigate formal investigations aimed at eliminating discrimination and encouraging good practice in the treatment of disabled people. The DRC is committed to enforcing these obligations but it is also determined to help site owners and developers tackle the barriers to inclusive web design.

The findings of the DRC’s investigation are expected by the end of 2003.

The Formal Investigation into Website Accessibility for Disabled People in England, Scotland and Wales 2003 will, through the examination of representative sample sites, include the following:

• a systematic evaluation of the extent to which the current design of websites accessed via the Internet facilitates or hinders use by disabled people in England, Scotland and Wales;

• an analysis of the reasons for any recurrent barriers identified by the evaluation, including a provisional assessment of any technical and commercial considerations which are presently discouraging inclusive design;

• recommendations for further work which will contribute towards enabling disabled people to enjoy full access to, and use of, the Web.

Current guidelines, maintained by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), advise that all web sites should achieve a minimum of Level ‘A’ Accessibility and strive to reach Level ‘AA’ Accessibility. Current guidelines for UK Government websites)include a mandatory compliance to the WAI ‘A’ standard.