Why does my business need to worry about website accessibility?

If your business involves operating a premises such as a shop, it's more than likely that over the past few years you've become aware of the need to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) to make your services accessible to disabled users. This may have involved installing lifts or access ramps. But what many business owners aren't aware of is the section of the DDA which addresses websites.

Section III of the DDA indicates that if a business offers a service via their website, even if it is simply a page of information, then the business should be seen to be making a reasonable effort to make this information or service accessible to disabled users. Depending on the age of your website, this may or may not have been an issue at the time of its design and development, but now addressing this issue can both enhance the professional look of your company as well as open up an avenue of extra business potential which might previously have been closed.

Typical issues which affect disabled internet users are visual impairments such as blindness, cognitive difficulties, dyslexia and inability to use a mouse. Therefore if you effectively close your website to these users, not only are you ignoring the need to make these reasonable efforts as set out in the DDA, but also preventing the users from making use of your services.

How do I know if my website is DDA Compliant?

The term "DDA Compliant" is bandied around a lot at the moment, which isn't technically accurate. The DDA itself does not map out standards for websites to adhere to, and therefore cannot currently enforce non-compliance. What the DDA says is a website should be seen to be making reasonable effort to make its information and services available to disabled users.

Ok then, how do we measure reasonable effort?

Website accessibility is measured against the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and all new websites which are developed should now be built with these guidelines in mind. Although some website features are easier to make compliant than others, your web developer should advise you if something you've requested poses a potential problem.

There are three levels of these WCAG guidelines concerning accessibility, which are described by W3C as:

• Priority 1 (Compliance Level A) - A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.
• Priority 2 (Compliance Level AA) - A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.
• Priority 3 (Compliance Level AAA) - A Web content developer may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.

Various organisations, including the EU parliament, recommend conforming to Priority 2 checkpoints. This is seen to be making the reasonable effort specified in the DDA by surpassing the basic level(Priority 1) of the WCAG checkpoints.

So what can happen if your website doesn't meet these guidelines?

Well, although there's currently no such thing as having a "DDA Compliant" website, it's legally possible that you could be sued. Although there have been no such cases yet in the UK which have gone to court, similar instances have occurred in both the United States and Australia.

So, if you're planning a new website or significant upgrading of your existing website, make sure you ask your web developer for advice on addressing the WCAG guidelines and keep the image of your business professional and up to date.

To summarise, why does your business need to worry about website accessibility?

• To be seen to making the reasonable effort set out in the DDA
• To maximise your professional image
• To make your information and services available to as many people as possible

Does your website pass the WCAG checkpoints? How do you find out?

We can provide you with a compliance and accessibility report for just £79 which will detail the current status of your website in regard to the guidelines. Simply get in touch and ask for an Accessibility Report.

© DX Net Solutions 2007-2008 inc.