Accessibility standards benefit all

As part of Bury MBC we have to provide information that is accessible to all sections of our community, regardless of ability.

The Disability Discrimination Act has brought about new rights for disabled people. Employers and service providers must not discriminate against a person for a reason connected with their disability. They must also make reasonable adjustments to the way in which they offer their services.

Accessibility is concerned with ensuring that the wide variety of users and devices can all gain access to information, thereby maximising the potential audience and letting users experience the pages the way they choose to. Therefore an accessible website is one that accommodates the full range of users.

Accessible web sites prioritise clear content, structure and ease of navigation. However they need not be visually unattractive, nor are they prevented from using the latest web technologies, provided that all information is still accessible to users.

The Office of the e-Envoy insists that all web sites - central or local government - comply with the W3C's guidelines on accessibility, [www.w3.org/WAI/].

This website is currently at the Web Accessibility Initiative's Double-AA standard www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG1A-Conformance.

We are striving to reach Triple-A as soon as possible www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG1AAA-Conformance.

The Disability Rights Commission - www.drc-gb.org/
Centre For Accessible Environments - www.cae.org.uk/
The National Register of Access Consultants - www.nrac.org.uk/
The Employers Forum on Disability - www.employers-forum.co.uk/


Author:James Corner