Saturday 29 November 2008

Blog Question for Week 9

"How could you advise a visually disabled friend to complain about a website they couldn't access?"

A visually Disabled person can complain about a website they couldn't access in several ways as the Disability Discrimination Act known as DDA make sures that websites are accessible to users that are visually impaird or disabled. So therefore if i had a visually disabled friend i would advise them to take strong legal action against the company by taking them to court for discriminating certain individuals from accessing certain websites to teach them a lesson and give my friend who is visually disabled a voice so that he/she can be recognised. Also to sue the company for going againt the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Quote from the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995

"2.2 (p7): “The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.”
Three Solutions:
The 3 solutions that can improve website accessibitly for a visually disabled friend are:
  1. Increase in font Size as this can help users with visually impaird vision to read text from websites much clearly and comfortably. The procedure that can be carried out for this is:
  • Firstky click 'View' which is on top of the browser

  • Secondly choose 'Font size' from the drop down menu.

  • Thirdly choose the font size that suits you and you know you are comfortable with.
    Finally continue with the reading.
2. Screen Reader as the CPU can read out text and images for the users that have visually impaired vision.

3. Special Keybord such as brail for blind users as these keybords are specially ergonomically designed for these type of users so that they can easily navigate through webpages.

Legal Case which has made precedence in law:
Olympic Web Case: Maguire V SOCOG
Location: Sydney
On the 7 of June 1999 a blind person made a complaint to HREOCthat he was unlawfully discriminated against by SOCOG in three respects which where:
  1. The failure to offer braille copies of the information needed to place orders for Olympic Games tickets.

  2. The failure to offer braille copies of the Olympic Games souvenir programme.
  3. The failure to offer a web site which was accessible to the complainant.
The Ticket Book component of the complaint was dealt with on the 30 September 1999 and Souvenir programme on the 27 March 2000.
A decision on the web accessibility was carried out on 24 August 2000, with SOCOG found to have occupied in unlawful conduct by offering a web site which was to a significant extent inaccessible to the blind. The web site was ordered to be made accessible by the start of the Sydney Olympics.
On 6 November 2000 (after the Sydney Olympics) the web site was found to only be partly compliant and $20,000 damages were awarded.
References:
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) & Web Accessibility
http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-accessibility/uk-website-legal-requirements.shtml [Viewed: 29/11/08]
Direct Government for Disabled people Rights and Obligations
Olympic Faliure: A Case for making the Web Accessible

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