A new web accessibility Standard
BS 8878 : Web accessibility. Building accessible experiences for disabled people. Code of practice


By the end of November 2010, we should have a new web accessibility standard.

The new document has been developed by the British Standards Institution (BSi) and will be known as BS 8878 : "Web accessibility. Building accessible experiences for disabled people. Code of practice". Several copies of the draft documents can be found here : http://www.bsigroup.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/How-we-can-help-you/Consumers/Accessibilty-day/BS-8878-form/Thank-you/

The new accessibility standard aims to discuss web accessibility without needing specialist IT knowledge, unlike WCAG which was largely a technical document & really designed for web developers. Here is how the BSi explain the new document :

BS 8878 has been designed to introduce accessibility, usability and user experience for disabled people to non-technical professionals, some of whom may be completely new to this subject. It gives guidance on process, rather than on technical and design issues, including recommendations for:

• Involving disabled people in the development process and using automated tools to assist with accessibility testing
• The management of the guidance and process for upholding existing accessibility guidelines and specifications.

Based on PAS 78:2006, Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites, BS 8878 will inform organizations of their legal responsibilities in relation to web accessibility, calling on them to appoint a specific person or department to oversee activity. Responsibility could fall within the Marketing, PR or External Relations departments that typically look after the organization’s website, or it could be Operations staff, Product Managers, HR Managers or others who are responsible for internal web applications.


I will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Posted byCharlie M at 03:21 0 comments