Access all areas [Internet access

Abstract

Easy accessibility to electronically delivered services and information is now a key requirement in UK law. Are our Web sites and Web services closed to users with disabilities? When it comes to the Internet it can seem to many users as if discrimination is still as widespread as ever, and even something as common as poor eyesight can render some Web sites unusable. As more organisations turn to the Web as a key way of deploying services and their reducing their dependence on front-line staff in physical offices, the issue of accessibility becomes not just important in terms of ethics but in terms of business performance and legal requirements. The relevant piece of legislation is Section III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and its associated Code of Practice. Organisations are, with very few exceptions, required to make "reasonable adjustments" to any practices, policies or procedures that would make it difficult or impossible for a person with a disability to use a service, although there is no definition of "reasonable" in the Act.