W3C ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES

The W3C

The W3C is the "World Wide Web Consortium". They have provided specifications & guidelines for how websites should be coded since 1994. One of the goals of this organisation is to help establish standardized coding so that all websites will look and work the same on all browsers. One area of paramount concern is the area of website accessibility for people who have limited access to technology and/or reduced mobility, standard body functions or cognitive skills due to disability. The "Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)" was created as a team within the W3C to address this issue.

The Guidelines

The "Accessibility Guidelines" are a set of ever-evolving draft rules that have been established to ensure that websites are coded in such a way as to make the content available to all users, including those with technological limitations, or physical or mental disabilities.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

Recent changes in legislation in the UK regarding the Disability Discrimination Act mean that companies are now required by law to develop their websites to the W3C Accessibility standard. Although not yet enforced in many sectors of the market, many companies have chosen to follow the guidelines.

Accessibility Compliant Website Development at Gopher Systems

Gopher Systems is happy to provide the service of W3C Accessibility Compliant website design to clients and offer it as a fee-for-service option for building your website. In April 2005, a website designed & built by Gopher systems won the Jodi Mattes Web Accessibility Award and afforded Gopher Systems the opportunity to promote our skill in this area of web development.

A selection of websites designed by Gopher Systems that comply with a high level of W3C Accessibility:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The W3C Accessibility Guidelines are broken down into 3 levels, called Priority 1, Priority 2 & Priority 3. Each level is increasingly more strict in terms how a site must be coded in order to comply with the guidelines. Compliance to each of these levels is often shown on a website with logos showing A, AA, AAA, as follows:

LOGO	SHOWS COMPLIANCE WITH
	Priority 1 of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (lowest level of compliance)
	Priority 2 of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (middle level of compliance)
	Priority 3 of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (highest level of compliance)

Overview of Accessibility Issues

ISSUE	POSSIBLE IMPACTS
Reduced Mobility	Unable to use conventional keyboard or conventional mouse, or have restricted use of one or the other.
Visually Impaired	Unable to view site and require "screen reader" to read text aloud. Unable to distinguish between colours. Unable to read small text. Unable to view animations.
Hearing Impaired	Unable to hear any sounds on site
Reduced Comprehension	Require simple ordered concepts / wording with no ambiguity over meaning.
Reduced Literacy	Require wording to be simple, concise, using basic language.
Financial Challenges	No access to most recent hardware/software. Use obsolete technology (monitors, computer processors, browsers etc). Reduced / no training on more complex software.
Restricted Access	Restrictions on software / hardware allowed or available by employers, or on public-access internet terminals.

If you would like further information about the W3C Accessibility Guidelines and how they might impact your current website, or are interested in having a website built that complies with the guidelines, please contact us.