How to...find out if your website is accessible in 6 steps

The Disability Discrimination Act states that businesses must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their information (among other things) is accessible to everyone. How far you choose to go with it is up to you, and will depend on your target audience. However, there are a few simple checks you can carry out on your own website to get an idea of how accessible your website is.

1. Is your website code valid?
Valid code means that it has been written according to a set of guidelines. Think of it as writing an essay using correct grammar. If the reader isn't distracted by poor spelling and misuse of characters like semi-colons, they find it easier to read, if the structure is logical it makes it easier to understand. So while valid code isn't the be all and end all of accessibility it's a good starting place.

The easiest way to check your code is to visit The W3C Markup Validation Service and enter your website address, this will then let you know how many errors are in your code. If this number is high, it is may be worth getting your website looked at.

2. Do Images have descriptions?
All images that display information should contain a description, in an 'alt' tag. In Internet Explorer, hover your mouse over an image and a description should appear. Check that this relates to the image and is an accurate description. This text will appear when images cannot be displayed, or will be read via a screen reader to those with visual impairments.

3. Does your website have a sitemap?
Somewhere on your website there should be a link to a sitemap or a list of all pages on your website. This allows visitors to quickly see exactly what content is available on your site and stop them getting lost on your site.

4. Do you need a mouse to access your website?
Leave your mouse alone and try to navigate through your website using the TAB, SHIFT+TAB and ENTER or RETURN keys on your keyboard. If it can't be done visitors who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access your website content.

5. Do links make sense out of context?
Read through the links on your website. Can you tell just from the link text where it will go? For example a link saying 'Contact Us' tells visitors you are likely to get to a page containing contact details, while 'Click here' or just 'here' could lead anywhere.

6. Can your text be resized?
For visitors with poor visibility it must be possible for the text on your website to be resized. To check that this can be done in Internet Explorer go to 'View' > 'Text Size' > 'Largest'. Make sure your website can still be used at this size.

These are basic accessibility checks and will not give you a full review, but can give you a good idea. If lots of issues arise from the checks above it is highly likely that your website is not accessible. For a full accessibility review of your web site call Picseli on 01792 222302.

A green website design company?

As part of our KTP project at Picseli, we are looking at streamlining our process so we can save time and money... and then pass these savings onto our customers. A part of this has included looking at the environmental or green issues associated with web design. But do customers actually seek out green companies? Is it a consideration when choosing a supplier?

According to CO2Stats.com: "People want websites they visit to be eco-friendly." So surely businesses should want eco-friendly websites and therefore look for a green web company. However, out of all of the customers I have met not one has asked about our environmental policy or how green our websites are. This has made me wonder though - what IS a green website?

What is a Green Website?
From my research a green website is one that either promotes environmentally friendly ideas or products, or that uses eco-friendly technologies or methods to reduce the site's carbon footprint. There is even talk of a new domain extension .eco (See article on Business Strata) for websites that are green.

Ways to make your website green include:

• Print friendly pages - when someone prints out a page from your website, make sure they don't use excessive amounts of paper and ink. A style sheet for printers will ensure that only the useful information is printed.
• Be Green Certified - CO2Stats.com helps to make your website carbon neutral.
• Have a quick to download website - makes sure that visitors aren't wasting power waiting for a slow website to download.
• Keep consistent navigation - reduces wasted energy while visitors browse through your website trying to find information.

How we try to be a green web design company
While Picseli has only been going for 5 months, BSS has been around for 25 years and has a number of policies in place to become environmentally friendly. BSS are currently aiming to be recognised under the Green Dragon Standard. Our policies include:

• Recycling paper & plastics.
• Recycling or resuing all computer equipment & hardware.
• Returning used ink cartridges and toners.
• Reducing the amount we print & ensuring both sides of paper are used.
• Using scrap paper for notes and scribbling.
• Ensuring all non essential equipment is turned off at the end of the day or when not in use.
• When possible we use emails & phone calls to cut down on unnecessary travel.
• And we focus on digital documentation to reduce paper wastage.

These is still plenty more we can do that will enable us to become eco-friendly, and we currently have a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) project in place that will be looking at our impact on the environment and how we can reduce our carbon footprint.

Companies Act 2006

A quick guide on what your website needs to contain to comply with the Companies Act 2006.

In short, you must include your company name, in legible lettering, along with the registered company number, place of registration and registered office address. Plus, you must also state if the company is being wound up.

Example Text

Business Systems Services (UK) Ltd is registered in England & Wales.
Company registration number 3804012.
Registered Office: Systems House, Phoenix Way, Garngoch Industrial Estate, Gorseinon, Swansea SA4 9WF

Don't forget your e-mails

This information should also be included on e-mails when the e-mail could be considered a business letter if in paper form.

This information was taken from http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/promotional/busStationery.shtml

What legislations apply to websites?

As with anything, it seems, your website is not free from having to comply with rules and regulations of some description. And once you start looking it can be a bit of a minefield. I have started a list of regulations, legislations, guidelines and acts that should at least be considered. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I won't be able to go into them all in detail, but I will do my best to provide you some information on them. This also doesn't look at industry specific regulations.

Legislation & Regulation

• Data Protection Act 1998
• The Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations
• The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)
• E-Commerce Regulations 2002
• W3C Validation (XHTML, HTML & CSS)
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2
• Companies Act 2006

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2 is released

On December 11th 2008 The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) launched version 2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
http://www.w3.org/News/2008#item210

Following a number of years in draft status, version 2 of the guidelines is intended to make it easier for developers to adhere to the standards, make them easier to follow and test, therefore making websites much better for people with disabilities or alternative methods of using the Internet. Here it is hailed as A New Era for Web Accessibility

In brief the guidelines are:

• 1.1 Text Alternatives: Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
• 1.2 Time-based Media: Provide alternatives for time-based media.
• 1.3 Adaptable: Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout ) without losing information or structure.
• 1.4 Distinguishable: Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.
• 2.1 Keyboard Accessible: Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
• 2.2 Enough Time: Provide users enough time to read and use content.
• 2.3 Seizures: Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures.
• 2.4 Navigable: Provide ways to help users navigate, find content and determine where they are.
• 3.1 Readable: Make text content readable and understandable.
• 3.2 Predictable: Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.
• 3.3 Input Assistance: Help users avoid and correct mistakes.
• 4.1 Compatible: Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.

All websites produced by Picseli will aim to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

February is Legislation Month at Picseli

I can't believe it is February already! It's been very busy at the Picseli offices and January has just flown by. One thing we have noticed more with the people we talk to is an increase in questions about the regulations and legislation regarding websites, e-commerce and online marketing. So we have made it our mission to find out about it and post our findings here throughout February. Not only will it help you make sure your website is compliant but will make sure we are living up to our promises and making sure that all websites we develop comply to legislation relevant to your industry.

Where do we start?
When it comes to the Internet and websites there are plenty of laws, legislation and regulations that must be complied with. However, there are lots of organisations and groups that have made recommendations that have become an industry standard for good practice. For example, there is no law that states all websites must use valid XHTML and CSS, but it is considered good practice and goes a long way to helping you comply with the other standards out there.

What will we look at?
As the month goes on I will look at the basic legislative requirements, for instance the Companies Act and each Friday will do a little 'How To...' guide to explain how to comply. We will look at some tests and checks you can do to find out whether your website uses valid code or whether it complies to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We will also take a look at specific industry codes, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and online areas like the e-Commerce Regulations.

I want to know now!
if you can't wait to find out if your website complies to these codes and regulations give me a call on 01792 222302 or email rhian@picseli.co.uk to get a free, no obligation report. We'll take a look at your website and let you know if it uses valid code, whether it complies to the Disability Discrimination Act and more.