Simple accessibility test
The Well Adjusted Campaign has announced a draft of its ten 'reasonable
adjustments', as required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, to
make online and printed media accessible to people with communication difficulties.
An employer should provide employees with a disability with services that
allow them to do their job, where this does not impose unjustifiable hardship
on the employer. This is referred to as a 'reasonable adjustment'.
The campaign, which was launched on 5 May 2006, has brought together representatives
from the British Dyslexia Association, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries
and Administrators, 2080 partners and a growing number of 'Champions of inclusion'
including Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and Big Issue founder John Bird MBE.
The campaign states:
'Research by the Disability Rights Commission found that 80% of UK
websites are inaccessible and that business welcomed clear guidance. The
aim of the Well Adjusted Campaign is to help provide this guidance. In proposing
ten draft reasonable adjustments it aims to help all organisations and companies
comply with the law, and meet the needs of their customers, colleagues and
community.'
The ten reasonable adjustments are as follows.
1. Letter shape and size
- Is it big enough and legible?
- Does it meet British Dyslexia Association and Royal National
Institute of the Blind style guidelines?
2. Sense
3. Navigation
- Can I find my way around with or without physical or hidden
difficulties like dyslexia?
- Is it W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Approved?
4. Design
- Is it great design or does it confuse your stakeholders - have
you asked?
- Does it offer British Dyslexia Association colour and contrast
options?
5. Appearance
- Does it 'move' on the page if you have dyslexia or visual
stress?
- Do you lose it on the page with distracting messages and
extraneous information if you have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) or sight issues?
6. Sound
- If you can't read easily or at all can you listen to it?
- Is it speech enabled or does it have a 'Talk-bar' audio reader?
7. Definition
- Is there access to a dictionary, thesaurus (for those who need
alternatives not a definition), jargon guide, acronym guide or do you
get 'oops' if you are searching for a word on a website?
8. Language
- In a world of multiple languages are you making the effort to
translate written and aural language for large sections for your
customers and staff?
- Does it pass the foreign language translation guidelines? Less
than 5% of the Fortune 500 Companies pass by using Spanish alternative
text.
9. Right to Reply
- What about writing and responding when faced with communication
difficulties?
- Can people reply or comment or fill in forms easily?
10. The 4 New P's
- Do you have organisational policies, programmes,
practices and research panels for your
hidden differences stakeholders?
- Would you like to have the right senior people trained to meet
the above Top 10 Reasonable Adjustments?
The campaigners are asking people to further 'refine' and 'define' these
adjustments on their website at www.welladjusted.org.uk
(opens a new window). They announced the 'final' version of their 'reasonable
adjustments' on 10 October 2006.