The WAI Message

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) aims to promote universal web access. The purpose of this presentation is to quickly show what is causing concern and what can be done about it.

Theoretically, it is an extension of the 'kerb cut' theory - everyone has the right to the same access to information and by making web content accessible, everyone stands to gain. If everyone has the same right to information, the same information, and there is broader bandwidth and more multimedia all the time, how can accessibility be achieved other than by providing all information in 'equivalent' forms for all people. This has led to the theory of 'equivalence' - and leaves questions about how it is to be achieved. the W3C Web Content Access Guidelines provide a theoretical framework for accessibility - but a practical approach is needed by those who want to achieve accessible content.

Those of us who care about accessibility and proactively advocate it want to show everyone that their awareness counts. More specifically, that:

• a little effort from everyone can make a big difference
• it only takes one champion per organisation for the organisation to have a constructive awareness of the problem
• it is everyone's problem - website commissioners, website builders and web users
• the beneficiaries of universal access are everyone - disabilities community, us all as we get older, users of alternative browsing devices and the forthcoming web-networked devices
• and we should remember that in some circumstances, there are legal implications for those who choose to turn their backs on this problem.

• be familiar with and follow the NCAM and/or WAI guidelines so the problem does not arise
• think separately about metadata, website structures, content and presentation (or layout)
• aim for HTML 4.1 strict and use cascading style sheets where possible
• verify the universal design of both the HTML syntax and the layout

• organisations such as WC3/WAI/IPO and NCAM are already doing what needs to be done - it is more effective to join them than try to duplicate them, and
• making websites for public use is not for amateurs. Long term, we will pay a high price if we do not recognise that we must have properly built websites for public use.

Currently there is no simple way to produce universally accessible websites other than by following the guidelines and applying them to the website's metadata, structure, content and layout. If we demand better authoring tools, perhaps everyone will make accessible sites without even thinking about it.

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