Stockport Council rebuilt its website in 10 weeks to be
accessible to all.
Research published last month by the Disability Rights
Commission found that only about one in five public sector and
business websites can be used easily by disabled people.
However, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council says it has
bucked this trend by setting new standards for its website’s
accessibility.
The re-launched council site now complies with the DRC’s
recommendations and is one of the first UK-based sites to meet the
AAA standard of the World Wide Web Consortium, which represents the
highest level of accessibility compliance that a website can
achieve.
The project to rebuild the Stockport site from scratch was
developed with new media consultancy RiverInteractive using a
content management system from Mediasurface.
This system enables the council to publish and manage the vital
information its citizens need in a timely and effective manner. The
redesign of Stockport’s extensive website was completed within 10
weeks.
The DRC report found that 81% of UK-based websites fell foul of
accessibility standards for disabled users, leaving operators
exposed to the threat of legal action under the Disability
Discrimination Act.
The Stockport site goes beyond these requirements by using
software from Browsealoud, so that visually-impaired users can
browse the site using speech; access keys; and skip navigation,
which makes the site easier to use for end-users with text-only
browsers.
There is also a text-only version of the site with high-contrast
text and background to ensure maximum visibility.
The Stockport site can be accessed through other channels, such
as digital TV and Wap.
Services available through the website include paying council
tax online, traffic and travel information, business directories,
and information on council services and local events.
"The Mediasurface system is an affordable package that we knew
would deliver everything we needed to make us compliant with
current government regulatory standards," said Andrew Kirkham,
operational head of council e-services at Stockport.
He said, "It has provided our community with a unique level of
accessibility for all users, and we can now manage and update
content rapidly and efficiently."
www.stockport.gov.uk