Weblogs: Web Accessibility

Accessibility in the News: October 2004

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Christopher Reeve in the role of SupermanThe biggest story of the month is not strictly an accessibility story. Christopher Reeve has done a tremendous amount of work promoting and advocating stem-cell research as a means of curing a number of spinal injury related disabilities. He passed away on the 11th October 2004.

With the US Presidential elections underway, the focus is on the actual voting. Apparently 80% of voting stations in the US are still inaccessible. One in four votes will be cast on a touch screen computer, and Florida won't be having chads this time around. The voting turn-out amongst the disabled is expected to be the highest so far, especially since voting stations are starting to move towards being accessible, and the touch screen voting systems along with audio output proving to be very disabled friendly.

Section 21 of Part III of the UK Disability Discrimination Act is now in force. Online newspapers are focusing on how the shopping centres have improved. There is clearly still work to be done. There have been a few accessible websites published under the misunderstanding that the law comes into force this month (its been enforceable on websites for close on three years now).

In terms of accessibility of websites, the job seeker industry have recognised that disabled job-seekers offer an audience that are well worth pursuing. Hopefully FTSE 100 companies will start to realise their folly soon. Manchester United - once the jewel in the crown of accessible websites - failed the AbilityNet State of the e-Nation test, top scoring with two points out of five. And PDFs are still inaccessible.

Websites

Hardware and Software

Disability Discrimination Act

Voting

Real world accessibility

Legal


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