What is a "public Web Site"?
According to the "Riga Ministerial Declaration", the latest in a seemingly unending stream of such instruments, it would appear that the EU et al intend to mandate web site accessibility, at least for all "public websites" :-
The Riga Ministerial Declaration, signed today by ministers from EU Member States, accession and candidate countries, and EFTA/EEA countries, sets out the following specific targets:
- halve the gap in internet usage by 2010 for groups at risk of exclusion, such as older people, people with disabilities, and unemployed persons,
- increase broadband coverage (i.e. the availability of broadband infrastructure) in Europe to at least 90% by 2010.
- ensure that all public websites are accessible by 2010,
- by 2008, put in place actions in the field of digital literacy and skills to reduce gaps for groups at risk of exclusion by half in 2010,
- by 2007, make recommendations on accessibility standards and common approaches, which could become mandatory in public procurement by 2010, and
- assess the necessity for legislative measures in the field of e-Accessibility, and take account of accessibility requirements in the review of the electronic communications regulatory framework beginning in June 2006.
Back in January I attended the excellent IEE/BCS Manchester Turing Lecture given by Chris Mairs, Director and Senior Vice President of Data Connection Ltd who is also both a world champion water skier and blind. In the Q&A after the lecture Chris was asked whether he supported mandatory accessibility legislation . His answer was that we need to be very careful about mandation and he would much prefer incentives to be used rather than enforcement. I asked Chris whether he supported the mandatory certification of websites. Chris believed that government websites should be required to consider accessibility insofar as their day to day business was concerned, but that concerns about broader public mandation causing a backlash (which had been discussed earlier) meant he didn't support regulation for all websites. This seemed to me to be both a reasoned, and reasonable position.
I note however that the RIGA Declaration is somewhat ambiguous ont this point. A public website could conceivably be either "public sector" or "publicly available". I hope it's just the former. I suspect it's the latter. In either case there's a glaring need for specificty and that's not something the commission excels at.
This is an important topic and it warrants paying attention to the views disabled users express. It will be a pity if a lack of precision in definitions provokes the back-lash that Chris and others expressed concern about.