Hi Simon

There has been some discussion on other lists recently about what makes an
accessible website.  I have provided below some resource information for
design and authoring of websites for those involved in website design and/or
maintenance. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (see below) are
international and have been adopted by the Australian Govt in
legislation.  Below are links to the three main resources people can use to
develop an accessible website.

Accessible web design is going to become more and more important,
particularly as services go 'online'.  For example, in Australia last year,
a visually impaired man lodged a compliant (with the Human Rights
Commission ) against the Sydney Olympics Organising Committee, for its
failure to provide an accessible website.  The man won the case, and the
Sydney Olympics Organising Committee had to pay him compensation.  This test
case set an important precedent in Australia - it demonstrated that websites
are considered a 'good and/or service', and therefore cannot be seen to
discriminate on the grounds of disability.

Cheers
Carolyn

Carolyn Frohmader
Executive Director
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
PO Box 229, Dickson ACT 2602  Australia
ABN: 23 627 650 121
Ph: +61 3 62535104 (Exec Director Mon-Fri)
Ph: +61 2 62421310 (Admin enquiries Tues & Thurs)
Fax: +61 2 62421314
Mobile: 0407 301 746 (Exec Director Mon-Fri)
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.wwda.org.au



Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
W3C (Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium)
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
These guidelines explain how to make Web content accessible to people with
disabilities. The guidelines are intended for all Web content developers
(page authors and site designers) and for developers of authoring tools. The
primary goal of these guidelines is to promote accessibility. However,
following them will also make Web content more available to all users,
whatever user agent they are using (e.g., desktop browser, voice browser,
mobile phone, automobile-based personal computer, etc.) or constraints they
may be operating under (e.g., noisy surroundings, under- or over-illuminated
rooms, in a hands-free environment, etc.). Following these guidelines will
also help people find information on the Web more quickly. These guidelines
do not discourage content developers from using images, video, etc., but
rather explain how to make multimedia content more accessible to a wide
audience.

Bobby
http://www.cast.org/bobby/
Bobby is a tool for Web page authors. It will help them identify changes to
their pages needed so users with disabilities can more easily use their Web
pages. For example, a blind user will be aided by adding a sound track to a
movie, and a hard-of-hearing user will be aided by a written transcript of a
sound file on a Web page. Bobby will recommend that these be added if they
do not already exist. Many people with disabilities will use special Web
browsers, such as one which reads text out loud using a speech synthesizer
for blind users. The suggestions made by Bobby will help authors to add
information to a Web page which will help the special browsers work more
effectively. To learn more about accessibility issues, please start with our
Resources page and follow the links. For example, the "rationale" items on
the IBM Web site give explanations of how specific items can help.


Working Paper for e-commerce reference: web accessibility
Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/inquiries/ecom/Webworking_paper.ht
m

Inaccessible web page design either hides the text within images, frames,
applets or animated gifs or renders the text unintelligently in table,
columnar, or portable document format (pdf). Even on-line forms are
inaccessible especially when designed to prevent keyboard navigation and
input. Whether the form is posted for school or event registration or
on-line banking or shopping transactions, people with visual and/or mobility
disabilities are faced with a significant barrier to participation. But the
impact is not limited to people with visual and mobility disabilities.
People with specific learning disabilities are also finding that they can no
longer access web pages audibly with screen readers. Even people with
cognitive disabilities are becoming lost due to the absence of navigation
elements at web sites. Moreover, people with hearing disabilities cannot
access the content of audiostreaming and videoclips posted on the Internet
due to the absence of captioning.
(Excerpt from the Paper which is very comprehensive).


----- Original Message -----
From: A. Simon Mielniczuk <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 1:53 AM
Subject: Request for assistance on web site policies


> Many on this list are searching for the best ways to use the web for
health
> communication and engagement. Messages routinely reference new found or
> exemplary resources. Initiatives that would once struggle to announce
their
> presence or to find others from whom they could learn can now create a
> focused broadcast through lists such as this one.
>
> Health communication is complex, sensitive, and constrained by legal and
> regulatory boundaries. Add to this mixture the dimensions of design,
> content, navigation and technology. From the new opportunities created
arise
> new problems. With links come responsibilities, or do they? Health is a
> popular topical destination on the web. Ecommerce often follows the click
> stream. Should there be guidelines on sponsors, advertisers and others
> looking to gain advantage by association? Should there be any of these at
> all?
>
> I am looking for policies, practices, stories and other useful information
> on copyright, privacy, partnerships, sponsorship, editorial and design
> guidelines. If your health organization, whether voluntary, public or
> commercial, has or is addressing these issues, and you would like to share
> your learnings, please contact me.
>
> You can, of course, reply to the entire list or send them directly to
> <[log in to unmask]>. If you send directly, please let me know if you would
> rather I not disclose your name and/or organization. Alternatively, you
can
> call me collect at the number below.
>
> I will compile the results that arrive before June 1 and summarize in a
> posting back to the entire list along with a list of resources useful to
> this search.
>
> In advance, thank you,
>
> ___________________
> A. Simon Mielniczuk
> Strategy and Systems Consultant
> 416.828.2118 <[log in to unmask]>
>