- From: Joe Clark <joeclark@joeclark.org>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 15:39:50 -0400 (EDT)
- To: WAI-IG <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
X-URL: http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story664.html Access all areas Posted: 12 June 2003 By: Jemima Kiss Email: [29]jemima@journalism.co.uk Top UK broadcasters and media groups met in London on 12 June to discuss the challenges of web accessibility regulation. The UK Disability Discrimination Act states that all organisations "must make reasonable adjustments" to their services so that they are no longer impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to access. The act comes into full effect in October 2004. Most of the UKs biggest broadcasters are members of The Broadcasting & Creative Industries Disability Network (BCIDN), including the BBC and Channel 4. The network was founded by broadcasters in 1997 to address disability issues in the media industry. Web sites, which are included under the organisation's definition of 'broadcasting', can present several obstacles to users with visual impairment or restricted mobility. To be more accessible, sites need to be designed to take into account the use of tools such as screen readers, which read text to blind users, and be navigable with the keyboard alone. This allows users with limited movement to navigate through links on a page using the tab key, for example, instead of a mouse. "BBCi has a commitment to making its output as accessible as reasonably possible to all audiences to fulfil its public service remit and to meet its requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act," said Jonathan Hassell, editor of standards and guidelines for BBC New Media. "In February 1999, BBC Education, in conjunction with the RNIB, created Betsie - a tool that automatically creates text-only version of web pages. This has provided a text-only version of every page on bbc.co.uk since that time." In February this year, The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) began a year-long investigation into web accessibility, sampling 300 websites across the country. Assessment is based on universal standards laid down by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) in their detailed Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). In mid-2002, the BBC commissioned a study from usability consultants System Concepts to review the accessibility of the BBC web network, and is now implementing more than 50 recommendations. "A pan-BBC New Media Accessibility Working Group is in the process of reviewing all BBCi Web Standards & Guidelines to update them to comply, where possible, with the WAI guidelines," Mr Hassle told dotJournalism. "This study has been made available to the public (at [30]http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbci/websites.shtml) to inform and help other companies that are engaged in similar work." Channel 4 has also just begun a six-month project to bring its websites in line with WAI guidelines. Sources: [31]http://www.w3.org/WAI/ [32]http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch [33]http://www.employers-forum.co.uk/www/guests/bdn/index.htm © [54]Mousetrap Media Ltd References Visible links 1. http://www.newsphotography.co.uk/ 2. http://www.journalism.co.uk/search.html 3. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/ 4. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchf.html 5. http://www.journalism.co.uk/about.htm 6. http://www.journalistsforum.com/ 7. form field = popup menu 8. form field = image-submit button 9. http://www.journalism.co.uk/submit.htm 10. http://www.journalism.co.uk/listsub.htm 11. http://www.journalism.co.uk/jobsearch.html 12. http://www.journalism.co.uk/media.pdf 13. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchf.html 14. http://www.journalism.co.uk/frpass.htm 15. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp3.html 16. http://www.journalism.co.uk/diary.shtml 17. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp5.html 18. http://www.journalism.co.uk/awards.html 19. http://www.journalism.co.uk/events.html 20. form field = text entry field 21. form field = image-submit button 22. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp8.html 23. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp6.html 24. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp4.html 25. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp7.html 26. mailto:colin@journalism.co.uk 27. mailto:info@journalism.co.uk 28. http://www.journalism.co.uk/about.htm 29. mailto:jemima@journalism.co.uk 30. http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbci/websites.shtml 31. http://www.w3.org/WAI/ 32. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch 33. http://www.employers-forum.co.uk/www/guests/bdn/index.htm 34. http://www.journalism.co.uk/index.shtml 35. form field = text entry field 36. form field = text entry field 37. form field = text entry field 38. form field = text entry field 39. form field = submit button 40. form field = text entry field 41. form field = text entry field 42. form field = text entry field 43. form field = radio button 44. form field = radio button 45. form field = image-submit button 46. http://www.journalism.co.uk/index.shtml 47. form field = text entry field 48. form field = image-submit button 49. http://www.journalism.co.uk/archive.shtml 50. form field = text entry field 51. form field = text entry field 52. form field = text entry field 53. form field = submit button 54. http://www.mousetrapmedia.co.uk/ Hidden links: 55. http://www.journalism.co.uk/submit.htm 56. http://www.journalism.co.uk/listsub.htm 57. http://www.journalism.co.uk/jobsearch.html 58. http://www.journalism.co.uk/media.pdf 59. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchf.html 60. http://www.journalism.co.uk/frpass.htm 61. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp3.html 62. http://www.journalism.co.uk/diary.shtml 63. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp5.html 64. http://www.journalism.co.uk/awards.html 65. http://www.journalism.co.uk/events.html 66. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp8.html 67. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp6.html 68. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp4.html 69. http://www.journalism.co.uk/searchpower/html/gp7.html 70. mailto:colin@journalism.co.uk 71. mailto:info@journalism.co.uk 72. http://www.journalism.co.uk/about.htm
Received on Friday, 13 June 2003 15:43:15 UTC