Re: UK Access Rules: a further point

Further to my previous point about the requirement for
reasonable adjustments being in force already in the uk
there are two more points I think highly relevant ....

1. Its one thing having an act that says you must do it,
but without clear unambiguous technology standards and
tools that provide ways to talk about conformance
(such as EARL) and clear solutions (outside of
design guidelines - that's another discussion)
much confusion about where to go will remain (as it
does).  My feeling is that when all the promising pieces
of standard come together as they are doing then
the ways forward will be clearer.

2. I commend to you the work we are doing collaboratievly
with other organisations in IMS and CEN-ISSS Learning Technologies
workshop to get these pieces working together.  I think lots of the
stuff we do with a "Learning" label on it is in fact
not learning-specific at all and will have much wider
applicability in my view and are suitable for main
planks.  Its a good thing in my view to pool efforts
and creativity on these things.

The UK act is brilliant - when the technological standards
pieces are there to support it and the solution space
is more coherent (this is not at all to say the solution
is only technological).

Andy Heath.

> For accessibility of learning my understanding is that the requirement
> for reasonable adjustment is in force already.
> 
> For example see
> 
> http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/directions/issue4/senda.html
> 
> I agree with David's point about services
> 
> 
> Andy Heath
> 
>>
>> Tom Croucher said: "In the UK currently you are not obligated to be
>> accessible, however in Oct 2004 when the Disability Discrimation Act 
>> of 1995
>> (DDA) part III comes into force then all public web sites (as services 
>> I gather, although I am not a lawayer) are obligated to be accessible 
>> to a reasonable degree."
>> My understanding is that this is incorrect. Goods, facilities and service
>> providers have been covered since 1999 under the DDA Section III, which
>> requires them not to unjustifiably discriminate against someone on 
>> account
>> of a disability.
>> If they provide goods, facilities and services through a web site, then
>> legal argument has suggested that the web site is covered by this
>> legislation.
>>
>> See:
>> http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/01-2/sloan.html
>> http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_l 
>>
>> egalcase.hcsp
>>  
>>
>>
> 
> 


-- 
andy
_______________________________________________
Andy Heath
Sheffield Hallam University
andy@andyheath.org.uk

Received on Thursday, 16 October 2003 05:40:58 UTC