Many disabled people find it impossible to book a holiday, open a bank account or buy theatre tickets online, an investigation by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) into web access has revealed.
And at the conclusion of the first comprehensive investigation into the
user friendliness of websites - covering Government, business, leisure,
web services and e-commerce websites - the DRC issued a stern warning that
swathes of businesses may not be complying with existing equal access laws
and it was ‘only a matter of time’ before they faced legal
challenge from disabled consumers.
The study also revealed high levels of ignorance among web developers
over both the steps required and the costs of making their websites accessible
for disabled people.
The DRC’s report contains 15 key recommendations aimed at Government, the web industry, business and disability organisations.
Speaking at the launch of the investigation’s findings, Bert Massie, DRC Chairman, said: “The situation revealed by this investigation is unacceptable but not inevitable. The DRC is determined to ensure that this new powerful technology does not leave disabled people behind.”
Automated software tools - used to test whether the sample sites complied with voluntary web access guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium - revealed that 81% of websites (808) failed to meet minimum standards for disabled web access. The survey also found that the average home page contains 108 barriers that make it impossible or very difficult for disabled people to use.
The evaluation of 100 websites by the disabled user group revealed that because of poor accessibility over a quarter of the most routine and straightforward online tasks could not be completed successfully.
Blind people were the most disenfranchised of web users, the survey found. They were unable to perform nearly half the tasks set them despite using devices such as screen readers.
Massie said: “Eight in 10 sites are next to impossible for some disabled people to use – that means no last minute holidays, cheaper car insurance or lower rates of interest on credit cards.
“The web has been around for 10 years, yet within this short space of time it has managed to throw up the same hurdles to access and participation by disabled people as the physical world.”
Massie concluded: “Organisations that offer goods and services over the web already have a legal duty to make their websites accessible to disabled people. Our investigation contains a range of recommendations to help website owners and developers bring down the barriers to inclusive design. But where the response is inadequate, the industry should be prepared for disabled people to use the law to make the web a less hostile place.”
You can download the report at:
www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/report.asp
For publication: The report is available
from The Stationery Office (TSO): www.tso.co.uk/bookshop;
TSO, PO Box 29, Norwich, NR3 1GN; Telephone: 0870 600 5522. Price: £12.00