Accessibility
"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
Tim Berners-Lee, W3C director and inventor of the World Wide Web
In September 2007 Co‑operatives UK agreed and published its Web Accessibility and Usability Policy. The policy is reproduced below, and can also be downloaded here as a PDF file (69KB).
Co‑operatives UK Web Accessibility and Usability Policy
Version 1.0 November 2007
Definition
Web accessibility is about designing web sites so that as many people as possible can access and interact with them effectively and easily, independent of who they are or how they access the net.
General Declaration
Co‑operatives UK is committed to the goal of ensuring that all of our websites are fully accessible to all, in support of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
In pursuit of best practice our websites will uphold the relevant World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards and guidelines. With specific reference to accessibility, we will seek to ensure that all of our sites meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) 'Double A' conformance level (source documentation available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10 ).
New and pre-existing web content
All new and updated web content will seek to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) 'Double A' conformance level upon publication. All pre-existing web content will be systematically reviewed over time and where necessary modified in order to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG1.0) 'Double A' conformance level.
Priority for this review process will be given to:
- the most frequently visited pages of our sites,
- those sections of our sites containing core services and information, and
- any pages where improvements have been specifically requested by users.
In this way we aim to ensure that all of our sites meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) 'Double A' conformance level by Dec 31 2009 at the latest.
For any parts of any of our sites that we believe to be inaccessible to people with particular impairments, we will seek to provide information on planned improvements and an estimate of when those developments will be completed, along with details setting out how affected users may be able to access the information or services via alternative means.
User consultation and testing
We will actively seek to identify people with disabilities within our target audiences, and work with them and other users to identify the issues that they may experience in attempting to use our existing websites. Where we plan to create a new website we will actively consult with this group of users at the planning stage. Where funding for any given web project allows, we will make use of professional services to augment any available user input.
Maintenance and Review
Any web pages that have been modified following creation will be checked to ensure that they remain accessible and WCAG 'Double A' conformant.
Service Providers
We will work with all service providers involved in our web developments to ensure that their products and services contribute positively to our accessibility goals.
User Feedback
All our web sites will provide opportunities for site visitors and users to provide feedback about their experience in using the site, with particular emphasis on accessibility and usability.
Core Tasks
We will develop and maintain lists of core tasks that all users should be able to achieve for each of our websites, along with criteria for assessing how successful we are in enabling these tasks to be achieved.
Meeting User Needs
We will work with our members, potential members and other website visitors to identify their needs, and measure the performance of our websites in meeting those needs. This information will inform our priorities for site development.
Further information
Please contact us for further information about this accessibility policy:
Email: webmaster@cooperatives-uk.coop
Post: Co‑operativesUK Webmaster, Co‑operativesUK, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS, UK.