UK Disability Rights Commission

[Ian Glass]

(DRC) -- One thousand websites will be investigated for their ability to be accessed by Britain?s 8.5 million disabled people in the Disability Rights Commission?s (DRC) first Formal Investigation, it was announced today.

What sort of teeth does the commission have? Also, what sort of impact will this have on Web sites in the UK & elsewhere?

~~Ian

[redux]

i assume that they would, in the worst case, be able to take an organisation with an inaccessible site to court under the DDA/SENDA. then again, i may be wrong

[Daz]

You might find this interesting reading - there is a lot of it!
http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/01-2/sloan.html

[bo diddly]

[QUOTE='Daz']You might find this interesting reading - there is a lot of it!
http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/01-2/sloan.html[/QUOTE]

hi Daz - have alook at this: -

First DRC Formal Investigation to focus on web access.

One thousand websites will be investigated for their ability to be accessed by Britain's 8.5 million disabled people in the Disability Rights Commission's (DRC) first Formal Investigation, it was announced today.

A key aim of the investigation will be to identify recurrent barriers to web access and to help site owners and developers recognise and avoid them.

The investigation will break new ground in its breadth and depth. 1,000 web sites spanning the public and private sectors will be tested for basic compliance with recognised industry accessibility standards. In addition, 50 disabled people will be involved in in-depth testing of a representative sample of these sites for practical usability. This work will help clarify the relationship between a site's compliance with standards and its practical usability for disabled people.

The research supporting this Formal Investigation will be conducted in collaboration with a team from the Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design at City University London, led by Professor Helen Petrie.

Speaking today on the announcement of the Formal Investigation Bert Massie, Chairman of the DRC, said:

"The DRC wants to see a society where all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens and this formal investigation into web accessibility is an important step towards that goal."

Mr Massie continued:

"Organisations which offer goods and services on the web already have a legal duty to make their sites accessible. The DRC is committed to enforcing these obligations but it is also determined to help site owners and developers tackle the barriers to inclusive web design."

Mr Massie concluded:

"In a relatively short period of time the Internet has had a profound impact on the way we live, work and study. It is vital that this new and powerful technology does not leave disabled people behind, but that its potential for delivering a genuinely inclusive society is realised to the full."

The findings of the DRC's investigation are expected by the end of this year.

bit long winded, sorry but i thought it might be useful? the link is

http://www.youreable.com/TwoShare/ge...20web%20access

ttfn

[redux]

this still doesn't answer the original question about the teeth...

[bo diddly]

soz, am trying to find the answer, just thought the detail was intrestin. will post as soon as i have an answer.