Re: AbilityNet: UK Airlines shamed in web accessibility survey

Mike,

you might want to check the site out on a mac using internet explorer.
its barely usable, all the topic tags are missing, as well as the  
banner:-(
also the first link I tried, back on a PC 'learning: software' was 404
4 of the 6 navigation topics aren't linked at all.
The date is given as Thursday May 1st 2003, whereas in my diary it is  
Tuesday July22nd 2003.
Validation only tells one so much.

Did anyone notice the microsoft plug at the bottom of the homepage.

Jonathan

On Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at 12:22  pm, Isofarro wrote:

>
> Hiya,
>
> Just spotted the following article on the UK Financial Times Website,
> "Airline websites 'failing disabled' "
>
> url:http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/ 
> FullSto
> ry&c=StoryFT&cid=1057562607245
>
> It reports a AbilityNet survey on 9 major UK airlines' websites.  
> Googling
> found
> http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/content/oneoffs/e-nation.htm , and it  
> includes
> a link to a Virgin Atlantic "apology" for the accessibility problems  
> with
> their site and their committment to fix them shortly.
>
>
> AbilityNet is a National charity championing IT for people with
> disabilities. So web accessibility is naturally within scope.
>
> I have to admit AbilityNet is a breath of fresh air in comparison to  
> the
> RNIB. Their website is based on webstandards, and almost validates (the
> error being a paragraph element closed that was never opened - just a  
> typo).
>
> The full FT Times Story:
>
>
> Airline websites 'failing disabled'
> By Alan Cane
> Published: July 22 2003 5:00 | Last Updated: July 22 2003 5:00
>
> Websites operated by the UK's leading airlines were yesterday  
> condemned by a
> charity for the disabled for failing to meet minimum accessibility
> standards.
>
>
> Virgin Atlantic came off worst in a test of nine sites carried out by
> AbilityNet, a charity which provides computing advice and consultancy  
> to the
> disabled. The Virgin site, had "the most serious issues of  
> accessibility of
> all those tested". The website depended on film clips that people  
> unable to
> use a mouse - or who use speech output software - would not be able to
> understand. Virgin yesterday apologised for its shortcomings and said  
> it had
> put in progress changes to make the site more accessible.
>
> The most accessible sites were operated by EasyJet, British Airways,  
> Monarch
> and Air 2000, but even these did not meet AbilityNet's criteria for
> satisfying a base level of accessibility. Guidelines to ensure any  
> website
> offering goods and/ or services are accessible to the disabled have  
> been in
> place since 1999 and are backed up by the Disability Discrimination  
> Act.
> Alan Cane
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mike
>

Received on Tuesday, 22 July 2003 16:23:20 UTC