2007 PhD Thesis Final Revised.pdf - Curtin University

In terms of the primary online information providers, there is a recognition
that more needs to be done. The ABC representative acknowledged that its
consultative processes do not generally involve proactive discussion with the general
public but rely more on people with disabilities that have issues to come forward.
When the interviews with ABC staff were conducted in June 2003, the ABC’s web
site did not meet minimal W3C accessibility standards despite the requirement for
such compliance in their own production guidelines. The interviewees were deeply
embarrassed about this situation and vowed to rectify the problem. The issue was
addressed within days but it highlights the ease with which such problems can arise
despite an organisation being committed to provide wide access to information.
The interview with the BBC representative indicated that changes were being
implemented but that their original accessibility initiatives were now being used by
others which resulted in slight embarrassment. For example, the BBCi site is now
moving away from text-based equivalent pages in order to incorporate accessibility
through the main pages of the site. Unfortunately, others who have looked to the
BBC for guidance are now adopting text-based equivalents as a solution, believing
that it is still what people need. The view of the BBC is shared by many in the blind
and vision impaired community who want to have access to the same web pages as
everyone else rather than have special arrangements (Royal National Institute of the
Blind, 2003b). This again raises the importance of contacting users to find out what
their needs are from technology before the implementation process.
Despite being deemed one of the world leaders in accessible information
provision, the BBC commissioned a report in 2003 to assess their accessibility
standards. The report found that there were a few areas where improvement could
occur. These included creating procedures for a more uniform approach to sight-
friendly graphical layouts, simplifying the language on the site and tyring to upgrade
the site to Double-A W3C accessibility compliance (Harper, Kingsbury, & Hassell,
2002). This active approach is rare but demonstrates how continual revision and
communication with those affected can assist in removing disability divide issues.
Although the BBCi site continues to provide accessible information, the difficulties
in gaining access to the Internet remain. A recent study observed a number of people
with different disabilities trying to access online information with their respective AT
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