23 Feb 2022 | General | Legislation | Accessibility
Website accessibility has made the headlines again over the last few weeks with topics covering non-conformance and aims for the future. We’ve rounded up a few of the most interesting pieces.
Council website is only 1% compliant with accessibility rules
There has been a lot of improvement in the Local Government sector over the past few years, however not all authorities have accessibility marked so highly up their agenda. Our Local Government INDEX results for Q1 2022, put Croydon at 186th out of 410 organisations. Whilst this might seem like an unimpressive position, this is an improvement of 133 places since the same time in 2021.
https://insidecroydon.com/2022/02/02/council-website-is-only-1-compliant-with-accessibility-rules/
Web accessibility is good for your soul—and for business
This article discusses the reason why your organization should be taking website accessibility seriously and the benefits that compliance can bring.
Government aims to develop accessibility career path in DDaT
The UK government is aiming to develop Accessibility as a career path in digital, data & technology professions whilst also taking steps that could increase the emphasis on Accessibility in procurement of digital products and services. Hopefully, this will only bring about improvements in compliance and bring accessibility to the table across all sectors.
https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/government-aims-to-develop-accessibility-career-path-in-ddat/
P&G Website Not Accessible To Blind Individuals, Class Action Claims
This big name has been added to the long and growing list of lawsuits. The P&G website’s screen reader allegedly fails to read the item description link and stops functioning abruptly in the middle of a sentence.
Accessible by default at the Food Standards Agency
This interesting insight into a central government’s approach to accessibility is an interesting read. The approach from accessibility lead, Samantha Merrett, goes further than just complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and includes providing informative material and training to educate staff, removing PDFs and continually reviewing content and processes.
https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2022/02/15/accessible-by-default-at-the-food-standards-agency/
ADA Compliance For Websites: Getting It Right
This article covers some good points on what type of things are involved with getting a website compliant and meeting the standards, but it also highlights both the social and economic considerations that organizations need to consider.
Public transport apps and websites are failing to meet needs of disabled passengers, says review
A review of transport companies’ websites and apps has highlighted that they are challenging for users with visual or cognitive impairments. This review highlights that such public sector websites need to be aware of their obligations to meet accessibility guidelines and not discriminate against their users.
Justice Department secures agreement with Kroger to make online COVID-19 vaccine registration accessible for people with disabilities
The DOJ has continued to show that the ADA can, and should, be applied to digital with a further agreement about making COVID-19 vaccine registration websites accessible. We would however, like to see the DOJ enforcing the regulations in relation to more than just COVID-19 vaccine websites.