UK pushes for improved web accessibility

The first British Standard for web accessibility was launched on Tuesday 7 December 2010 by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

More accessible to more people

Entitled BS 8878:2010 Web accessibility - Code of practice, it aims to make the web more accessible to more people. In its simplest form, a standard is an agreed, repeatable way of doing something.

The Office for National Statistics estimate that in 2010, an average of 30 million people have been using the internet everyday across 73 per cent of UK households.

Ensuring a website or web product is usable by the millions of older or disabled consumers amongst that number, each with their own needs and preferences, is no mean feat!

Before, during and after development

There are already well-established technical standards published such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), which provide detailed guidance for the development phase of building a website. Following these guidelines is often the sole responsibility of a web developer.

Whilst there is no doubt that development is a key stage when implementing accessibility, it is usually a small overall part of the lifecycle of a successful web product.

Filling a gap

BS 8878 aims to fill the current gap between site owners and developers by providing a wider scope of information and recommendations, which can be applied before, during, and after the development phase. These include:

• Information on how disabled people use assistive technologies to interact with websites and web products, complete with example personas.
• Recommendations of how to incorporate accessibility considerations into projects from the ground up.
• Guidance on how to compose and maintain a clear, jargon-free accessibility policy.
• References to other guidelines such as WCAG 2.0 where appropriate to close the gaps between site owners, marketing staff and web developers.

RNIB's involvement

RNIB was very pleased to be involved in the development of this standard by participating on the BSI Committee and commenting during the draft consultation phases.

We hope that it will become an invaluable source of information for companies who are keen to incorporate accessibility into their online services, and that it will enable those companies to expand their reach in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Here's to 2011 being the most accessible year yet on the web!

Useful links

• Purchase BS 8878 from the BSI.
• For more information on Web Accessibility and to see the range of consultancy services RNIB offers in this area, please visit our Web Access Centre.
• Report websites with accessibility issues to Fix the Web.