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Does the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) include websites?

Does the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) include websites?. Matthew Eaton Accessibility Specialist. Yes!. A Website provides a service. The DDA Code of Practice – Part III mentions websites explicitly:.

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Does the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) include websites?

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  1. Does the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) include websites? Matthew Eaton Accessibility Specialist www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  2. Yes! • A Website provides a service. • The DDA Code of Practice – Part III mentions websites explicitly: www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  3. 2.2 (p7): “The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.” www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  4. 4.7 (p39): “From 1st October 1999 a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.” www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  5. 2.13 – 2.17 (p11-13): “What services are affected by the Disability Discrimination Act? An airline company provides a flight reservation and booking service to the public on its website. This is a provision of a service and is subject to the act.” www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  6. 5.23 (p71): “For people with visual impairments, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible should include … accessible websites.” www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  7. 5.26 (p68): “For people with hearing disabilities, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible should include … accessible websites.” www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  8. Have any website owners been successfully prosecuted? • In the UK all cases of website inaccessibility have settled outside of court • Probably because of: • Negative Publicity • High Cost of legal proceedings • Low cost of legal compliance • The Sydney Olympics were fined Aus$20,000 under the Australian DDA, very similar to the UK DDA www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  9. Aside from the legal obligation • There is a clear moral case • There is also a very strong business case • Increase Market Share and Audience Reach • Improve usability for non-disabled and disabled visitors • Improve Search Engine listings • Reduce site maintenance • Demonstrate Social Responsibility www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  10. The Business Case • 8.5 million of the UK population have with some form of disability (source: ONS). • 2 million of the UK population have some for of sight problem (source: RNIB). • £40-50 billion - The combined estimated spending power of disabled people (source: Employers Forum on Disability). www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  11. Is my Website Accessible? • Website Accessibility is a “sliding scale” • Automated accessibility assessments can only test some aspects - manual checking is required to get a true idea of a website’s accessibility • Please contact MicroAngelo to discuss your website’s accessibility www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  12. Costs • Producing a website in an accessible way costs no more than producing a website in an inaccessible way, and can save money in the long term due to reduced update costs • Some aspects of an accessible website can only be implemented in the design phase – you cannot retro-fit them into an inaccessible website • Attempting to retro-fit website accessibility is not cost effective www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

  13. How can I make sure my website will be accessible? • Choose your web development company carefully. • Very few web development companies have the expertise to create an accessible website. • There is no recognised industry certification or accreditation to differentiate between web development companies. www.MicroAngelo.co.uk

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