Re: Digital UK Report

On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:23:34 +0100, Jim Lesurf <noise@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

In article <xyQhm.68306$OO7.62428@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Brian Gaff
<briang1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Before I go and waste my time downloading this pdf, is it protected? If
it is like a number I've downloaded of late, then blind folk cannot
read it except by printing it out, and scanning it back in again.

I fell foul of this on a UK frequency allocation table recently, amongst
other things. I fully realise people want to prevent copyright
infringment, but few seem to realise the implications for the blind,
who also want to be informed.

Does not UK Law now require public material to be 'accessible' by the
'disabled'?

Yes.

From the RNIB Web Access Centre:
http://tinyurl.com/2spj5r

UK Law

It has been a legal requirement for UK websites to be accessible
since 1999. Since then all websites have been expected to make
?reasonable adjustments? to ensure their websites accommodate all
users regardless of ability, disability.

Also:
http://tinyurl.com/6y86y

How does the Disability Discrimination Act apply to websites in
service provision?

Websites will most commonly be covered when they constitute the
provision of a service, or they are related to education. The Code
of Practice Rights of Access: services to the public, public
authority functions, private clubs and premises, includes the
example of accessible websites as an example of auxiliary aids and
services required under the Act (see below).

Service providers are required to provide auxiliary aids and
services where this would enable or make it easier to use a service.
As described above this includes accessible websites. Service
providers are required to change practices, policies and procedures
which make it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access a
service. This may impact upon procedures that a service provider
expects customers to follow on its website which are not accessible,
for example security procedures. Examples of inaccessible websites
which may contravene the Act in the area of service provision
include:

* It may be unlawful for a website to have links on that are not
accessible to a screen reader
etc.

Digital UK is undoubtedly a public service.

And would that not mean you can tell them they *have* to make
the material available in a format you can access?

I believe so in this case.

I don't think that in the case of digital television they could get away
with saying that blind people don't watch TV. Apart from the facts that
DTT includes radio channels and that a blind person might wish to listen
to TV programmes, there is also the point that where digital TV is being
discussed in a family or among a group of friends it might be the blind
person who has the ability to understand the technicalities and the
sighted who are baffled.


--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Digital UK Report
    ... that most receivers and boxes require use of on screen menus, ... most blind people of a certain age do not have a computer either ... It has been a legal requirement for UK websites to be accessible ... Service providers are required to provide auxiliary aids and ...
    (uk.tech.digital-tv)
  • Re: RASFF is dead!
    ... There's no law that says one's website has to be usable by the blind. ... websites that mandate they be usable by the blind; ... are blind users. ... For textual media such as blogs, a text only account ought to suffice. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
  • Re: RASFF is dead!
    ... Mark Atwood wrote: ... websites, have to be usable by the blind. ... I said so later in the message you're quoting. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
  • Re: School Project: Help needed
    ... I must design and create a project to help the blind using ... sonar/echolocation. ... Any websites or any direction at all would be ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Which version?
    ... brand new websites and without graphical browsers, ... Using the aforementioned programs is what one would get when a blind ...
    (alt.os.linux.suse)
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