In my article last month, I drew attention to the pressing need for those involved in procuring and producing web content (corporate Australia in particular) to embrace accessibility and commit to delivering content that is more broadly available to the impaired and elderly. This month I want to delve deeper into the guidelines on accessibility standards and best practice, and show that, for the most part, it is lack of awareness and will that has been holding us back, not budget constraints or technical hurdles.

Accessibility can be loosely defined as the degree to which a product or service is readily available to all users. In the online context, this means that websites need to account for slow internet connections and/or small displays, and cater to the needs of users who may have impairments in literacy, dexterity, hearing, cognition or vision. For most of us, the web is experienced via one of the common web browsers – Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc. – and we take ease of use for granted. But for many others, accessibility considerations, assistive technologies and speciality software are absolutely critical to their being able to use the web effectively or even at all. And, unfortunately, most current websites are not well geared for these people.

Current guidelines

It is with these issues in mind that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were released by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for review and adoption by the global community. According to the four principles of accessibility that underpin the entire standard (and under which there are numerous specific directives), websites should be:

• perceivable
• operable
• understandable
• robust.

It should be noted that the guidelines specify three levels of compliance: A, AA and AAA. Level A compliance is now the standard recommended in the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and endorsed by Vision Australia.

It’s really not that hard

Generally speaking, none of the directives in these guidelines is particularly onerous, and once understood they are readily implemented at the building stage of any well-conceived website.

The broader adoption of accessibility standards hinges on greater awareness by stakeholders, an acknowledgment that accessibility is integral to good design and a willingness to incorporate these standards into professional practice on every new project. Once we do away with the erroneous idea of accessibility as an unachievable, time-consuming and expensive ideal, the web can truly evolve and become a more equitable environment for all concerned. To this end, I recommend two excellent articles on ‘inclusion’ and ‘universal design’ at A List Apart.

P.S. I also challenge the developer of this blog to bring the site up to AA compliance and display the accreditation logo.

Michael Smith is Director of Digital Media at WellmarkPerspexa, where he keeps his finger on the pulse of the latest developments in electronic communications.

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