Bring your own policy: why accessibility standards need to be contextually sensitive

Abstract

Initiatives to enhance Web accessibility have previously focused on the development of guidelines which apply on a global basis. Legislation at national and international levels increasingly mandate conformance with such guidelines. However large scale surveys have demonstrated the failure of such approaches to produce any significant impact. We review previous critiques of the limitations of such approaches and introduces a new scenario – content for people with learning disabilities – in order to illustrate the limitations of resource-based standards. We describe how BS 8878, a code of practice developed in the UK which provides a standard for the processes used in the development of Web resources, has been deployed in an institutional context. We conclude by emphasising the importance of standards, especially to support the procurement of goods and services by government bodies. However rather than standards for describing Web content we argue that standards are needed which can be used across the wide range of uses which are being made of the Web, the variety of user contexts and the differences in interpretations of ‘accessibility’ and ‘disability’, especially across developing and developed countries.

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