The Disability Rights Commission has begun its first formal
investigation into online service providers. The move could result
in the closure of websites that fail to comply with the 1995
Disability Discrimination Act.
About 1,000 UK websites will be investigated over the next six
months for their ability to be used by the UK's 8.5 million
disabled people.
The sites will be tested for basic compliance with recognised
industry accessibility standards. In addition, 50 disabled people
will be involved in in-depth testing of a representative sample of
sites to assess practical usability.
Commission chairman Bert Massie said the key aim of the
investigation will be to identify recurrent barriers to web access
and to help owners and developers to recognise and avoid them.
But the commission may take legal action in extreme cases, lawyers
said. "There is likely to be some litigation on websites that
discriminate against disabled people, as has already happened in
the US," said Suzanne Mercer, a partner in IT and e-commerce
practice at law firm Eversheds.
"This will particularly apply when people who can't use websites
are excluded from financial incentives, such as when low-cost
airlines offer cheaper flights online rather than over the
phone."
The push to make websites more accessible to disabled users has
gained momentum in the past two years in a campaign given extra
impetus when the EU designated 2003 the European Year of Disabled
People.
- The organisation charge of rolling out the UK chip-and-Pin
programme for secure credit and debit card use has refuted claims
that the point-of-sale technology behind the scheme will cause
difficulties for disabled users.
"Suppliers have not addressed the needs of disabled users yet,"
said Nigel Langstone, technical manager at consulting firm Fujitsu
Services, which has worked with retailers on the initiative.
The Project Management Organisation, which oversees developments
for banks and retailers, insisted that disabled users have always
been high on its agenda.