European Commission targets website accessibility

1.18.10pm GMT Mon 4th Sep 2006

The European Commission is improving the accessibility of its 'Europa' website, to ensure that content is clearer and simpler with straightforward language. The Commission has adopted 'Guideline 14' of the Web Content Accessibilities Guidelines, which set standards for websites to be accessible to people with reading and/or cognitive disabilities.

London's Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford commented:

"The 40 million European citizens with a disability should not have to struggle to access the on-line information and services they require, yet they can face a wide range of technical barriers in accessing the internet.

"So this is a welcome step forward by 'Brussels' to promote wider inclusion in EU affairs. Of course, it would be great if all Euro-jargon could also be axed - but that might take a bit longer!"

Notes:

The Website Accessibility Initiative has drawn up the international guidelines which group accessibility issues into 14 areas. To ensure that a website is accessible, each guideline has a number of checkpoints numbered 1 to 3 depending on the importance of the checkpoint.

For a site to be considered accessible, priority 1 checkpoints must be addressed, priority 2 checkpoints should be addressed, and priority three checkpoints may be addressed. A site reaching Level "A" means all priority 1 checkpoints have been addressed, Level "AA" means priority 1 and 2 checkpoints have been addressed, and Level "AAA" means that priority 1,2 and 3 checkpoints have been addressed. Sarah Ludford's website, specifically designed with accessibility in mind, conforms to the 'AA' accessibility standard throughout, and aims for 'AAA' on as many pages as possible. For further information on website accessibility guidelines, see http://www.w3.org/WAI/.