There is growing evidence that accessibility is becoming an important consideration in the planning and construction of a modern, more inclusive society. And yet the great democratising influence of our age – the web – has been paradoxically sluggish in following this trend.

Public buildings with ramps in place of stairs, automatic doors, elevator buttons at wheelchair height, Braille keypads and signs, non-step buses and priority parking, ripple strips on train platforms and footpaths, audio ‘walk’ and ‘don’t walk’ signals, motion- and voice-activated appliances, large-print books, multi-language community literature … all of these point to an emerging awareness that the needs and rights of those who have historically been disadvantaged must be better addressed and understood. But we have a long way to go, and the necessity for ongoing change is clear. The Australian Human Rights Commission, in its advisory notes on the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), asserts that one in five Australians lives with some form of disability, and the proportion is growing. Average life expectancy has increased from 57 in 1910 to over 80 today, and by 2030 the number of people aged 65 to 80 will rise by nearly 40%. Clearly, equitable, unhindered access to buildings, education, employment, public transport, goods, services and information can no longer be an option or afterthought; it is an imperative.

It is ironic that the web – a modern medium that was intended to be accessible by all – has evolved in a way that often presents major accessibility barriers to the elderly, impaired and impoverished. Potentially, of course, the web offers unprecedented opportunities for inclusion and participation – making accessible what was previously unavailable and giving voice to those who previously went unheard. Yet it doesn’t take much investigation to discover that for those with disabilities, ‘e-Exclusion’ (a term used in a 2008 report for the European Commission, available here) is still the norm. From social media through to community and business sites, stakeholders involved in the development and distribution of online content and tools continue to give accessibility standards and guidelines short shrift. This issue concerns us all, and I think that we as users, designers, developers and web owners have an ongoing civic obligation to champion and model universal e-Access – not to mention a legal obligation, as mandated under the DDA.

For businesses, this means embracing accessibility as an integral part of an organisation’s approach to an effective web presence, and should incorporate the full gamut from online service offerings through to consumer and investor communications. For developers, it means raising client awareness and including accessibility in project specifications, best-practice coding, and testing regimes. And for individuals, it means increasing awareness in circles where you exercise influence, and holding corporations and commercial site owners accountable for accessibility through feedback and forums.

For all the new possibilities it has opened up, the web is not as progressive as it might be. We need to bring online accessibility into line with our broader social initiatives and make inclusion the norm.

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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