Websites & accessibility
There are over 2 million individuals registered as blind or visually impaired in the UK and since the implementation of Section 21 of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1999, there is now a legal obligation for the websites of service providers to meet the information needs of blind and partially sighted users.
The construction of a website must therefore take this into consideration at the outset - not simply as an afterthought on completion of the "main" pages.
An accessible site is also more readable by search engines thus increasing chances of increasing a site's ranking.
On publication your pages are guaranteed to meet at least the the minimum requirements of UK government guidelines.
A text-only version of the site can be provided if needed.
Information will be provided in your site manual on how to maintain these standards.
Web Standards
We take web standards seriously and all pages on the site will be valid Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) 4.01 Transitional and use validated Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
Benefits over non-standard pages include smoother site editing and can mean faster-loading pages, increased browser compatibility and better visibility to search engines.
Check This Site
At the bottom right of each page on this site you will see 3 links inviting you to check the validity of its html, css and accessibility. Follow these and you'll be provided with a summary of the relevant validation details.
Useful links
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
Contains general information about rights and also a full copy of the act.
WAI Web Accessibility Initiative
Details about the A, AA, and AAA standards applicable to websites. The minimum UK Govt requirement is to meet the criteria for the single-A level.
The Cabinet Office
Carries the UK Government's guidlines on web diesign and accessibility.
