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UK Government to get tough over Web accessibility

Found in New Media Age’s online magazine, newmediazero, is this story about the UK government’s latest plans to enforce web accessibility:

“The Government is preparing to launch the UK’s first legal crackdown on companies that fail to make their Web sites accessible to blind or partially-sighted Internet users.

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) will begin a formal investigation into online service providers next month, which could produce the country’s first test case of disability law applied to the Web.

The government body’s legal team is currently formulating its strategy and is weighing up whether its investigation should focus on individual companies or particular industry sectors.

If the investigation concludes that certain Web sites breach the 1999 Disability Discrimination Act, the Commission’s statutory powers allow it to serve notices ordering them to cease operation.”

The story in full can be found here, although you may have to register on the site to view this content.

Related links

• Disability Rights Commission
• Disability Discrimination Act
• RNIB