New research reveals widespread accessibility issues
A public audit of 300 library, museum and archive websites found that six out of 10 failed the most basic web accessibility tests.
Research by City University for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) showed that only three per cent of sites tested met the accessibility standards that government websites are expected to achieve by December 2005.
However the findings were a significant improvement on similar checks a year ago, when just 19 per cent of websites complied with basic accessibility guidelines.
Another positive aspect was that the work required to bring this figure up to 100 per cent is not particularly extensive, the research confirms.
As a further measure of accessibility, a sample of the sites were checked by a user panel of blind, partially-sighted and dyslexic people. Here the panel members were only able to complete around three-quarters of the tasks they were set to undertake on the websites.
Research also found that, on average, people with disabilities using the websites faced 60 potential accessibility 'stumbling blocks'.
The report highlights that when designing websites, museums, libraries and archives generally need to be engaging not just with web accessibility guidelines, but directly with people with disabilities.
In an upbeat response to the new report, MLA Chief Executive Chris Batt said: "Our sector is doing relatively well in developing innovative, accessible websites. Across the board, museums, libraries and archives are above the national average.... I hope that web managers throughout our sector will implement the recommendations outlined in this new report."
Michael Burton, Commissioner for the Disability Rights Commission, welcomed the report and congratulated MLA on the initiative.
However he added: "The opportunity to ensure that people with impairments derive full benefit from this investment [in websites] will be squandered if it is not identified as a key objective throughout planning and implementation."
Related Links
Accessibility of Museum, Library and Archive Websites: The MLA Audit (PDF: 451KB)
