When I reflect on the vast amount of excellent guidance and support available for anyone with the slightest inclination to make their web site and electronic information accessible I wonder why some people and organisations find it so difficult. The answer is of course that accessibility is all about attitude. Once that is sorted then everything else can fall into place.
So, for those who have the attitude for accessibility here is another very useful resource to add to your toolbox. The Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities has produced the latest of their accessibility publications, Guidelines for accessible E-text.
The guidelines are available for free download in a variety of accessible formats as you would expect. They take into account style guides and best practice from Australasia and around the world.
Anyone who is preparing electronic documents will find the publication useful as will those from specialist transcription agencies, government and public bodies, corporates and other organisations which understand the necessity of making their information accessible. People who are print disabled will also find them useful in advocating their need for accessible information.
And for those unreconstructed souls who can’t see the point of it all, we must make the case yet again.
It is also important that organisations take their accessibility attitude beyond the ad hoc and the operational and include accessibility in their strategic thinking and planning, into business as usual, by institutionalising the understanding that access to information is a human right for everyone. That way the tools available will be used to best advantage for everyone.
