The UK
Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has announced that it will now use a figure of "about 10 million people" to estimate the number of people covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in Great Britain. This updated figure is considered to be more accurate than the previous estimate of 8.6 million
disabled people which was based on outdated data from 1996/97. Not all of those 10 million people will use the term "disabled" about themselves but this estimate represents those thought to be covered by the DDA.
Official disability figures for Great Britain revised: continue reading …
New Web Standards Incubator Will Act As Catalyst For Worldwide Adoption Of Professional Standards
The Guild of Accessible Web Designers marked its launch today by calling upon Web designers to embrace accessibility as the cornerstone and guiding principle of their profession.
Accessibility goes far beyond preparing Web sites for disabled people,
said Jim Byrne, founder of GAWDS. Accessibility is now shorthand for the adoption of core standards that benefit every user of the Internet and impact the bottom line of every business. GAWDS intends to promote these standards to instill in Web designers the high level of competence and professionalism required to unlock the full potential of the Internet
Guild of Accessible Web Designers Launched!: continue reading …
A comprehensive web accessibility investigation by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has found that many disabled people face overwhelming problems when trying to access services online. More than eight out of every 10 sites are next to impossible for some disabled people to use.
The investigation, which encompassed Government, business, leisure, web services and e-commerce websites, was followed by a stern warning that many site owners may not be complying with existing equal access laws and that it was ‘only a matter of time’ before they faced legal challenges from disabled consumers.
Eight Out Of 10 Sites Fail Minimum Accessibility Levels: continue reading …
