Re: FN-FORUM: Websites for the disabled

date posted 8th January 2008 12:44


On 8 Jan 2008, at 13:13, Gary Short wrote:

>
> -------- Original Message --------
>> From: Tony Crockford [EMAIL REMOVED]
>> Sent: 08 January 2008 11:46
>> To: "FN-FORUM / [EMAIL REMOVED] [EMAIL REMOVED]
>> Subject: Re: FN-FORUM: Websites for the disabled
>>
>> On 8 Jan 2008, at 12:36, Gary Short wrote:
>>>
>>> You are, of course, welcome to disagree and hold your own opinion
>>> instead. However, that will not change the fact that the DRC are the
>>> subject matter experts in the area and I have checked with them, and
>>> they have agreed that my position is the correct one.
>>
>> You might want to check again.
>>
>
> That document dates from 2004, my written answer from the DRC dates
> from June 2007, which makes it more up to date, if not more
> correct :-) I'd agree that the left and right hand of the DRC does
> not seem to be in tune here, which makes getting legal advice very
> difficult. If the DRC can't even speak with one voice on this
> subject, then what chance have the rest of us got?

I think technically your response might be correct in a specific
circumstance, e.g if the web site is no the only provision of the
service then it might be acceptable for it not to be accessible, in
the same way that printed documents, made available as braille or
large print circumvents the DDA.

However a B2C site that has no alternative or equivalent means of
delivering the same service has to fall foul of the DDA.

but as i say, anyone running a web based business that doesn't get
clear legal advice from someone with professional indemnity insurance,
for all their unique circumstances is foolish.

I would never advise a client that they don't need accessibility, nor
would i seek to bully a client to have accessibility *added* as it's
my ethos that all sites I build should strive for non-exclusion. [1]

;o)





[1] non-exclusion means not doing something knowingly that would
prevent someone with a disability from accessing the content - it's
not the same as accessibility, which strives for inclusion of all
possible users and extends to providing written transcripts of video
content etc...