digital
Accessibility
Web Accessibility has become one of the most talked about topics over the last few years, and one of the most important.
At it’s core, accessibility is about ensuring your web site and online communications are available to everyone, regardless of the means or method by which they access it. In a nutshell, by being accessible you make sure nobody is excluded.
A number of high-profile organisations have been particularly vocal in promoting accessible web design including the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) who have created a very useful document on The Legal Case for Accessible Websites.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced in 1995 and a code of practice published in 2002 outlining the potential consequences for failing to make your web site accessible:
“A disabled person can make a claim against you if your website makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access information and services. If you have not made reasonable adjustments and cannot show that this failure is justified, then you may be liable under the Act, and may have to pay compensation and be ordered by a court to change your site.”
There are a number of standards published internationally by the WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) the most well known of which are the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) which outline what a web site must do to reach a particular accessibility level. There are three accessibility levels A (least accessible), AA and AAA (most accessible). All of our web site reach at least a AA level, many AAA ensuring the maximum possible compliance.
What We Can Do For You
Although it can seem a complex area, we have the extensive experience and knowledge necessary to guide you through the accessibility maze. We consider accessibility to be crucial to any web project, and strive to achieve the highest level of compliance we can.
There is a common myth that accessible web sites have to be ‘text only’ or uninspiring – that’s completely untrue. By using coding standards and intelligent design we can produce highly accessible sites that look and feel as good (if not better) than many others.
If you need any further convincing that it’s a good thing, bear in mind that an accessible web site will be far more attractive to search-engines than a non-accessible site and will in all likelihood rank more highly. Additionally, because the use of text is maximised, maintenance of an accessible web site is generally far easier than a graphic-intensive site.
- Accessibility is central to what we do
- We aim to build sites to at least a AA level of the WCAG Guidelines
- We make Accessible web sites inspiring
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