Accessibility
ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION
People with sight problems use a variety of methods for accessing information and communicating. The internet is one of the most significant communication developments since the invention of braille. For the first time ever, many blind and partially-sighted people have access to the same information as sighted people and on the same terms. A blind person can now shop, bank or read the news from their computer using access technology*.
However, barriers still exist. Websites must be correctly designed and built so that people with disabilities can use them. It has been a legal requirement for UK websites to be accessible since 1999. Since then all websites have been expected to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their websites accommodate all users regardless of ability or disability.
*ACCESS TECHNOLOGY
Blind and partially-sighted people use a wide range of equipment to help them access print and electronic information, including:
-
hand-held magnifiers
-
closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), which magnify print up to 48 times the original size
-
speech software which converts text on a computer screen into braille which is read on a keyboard
-
screen enlargement software that enables the user to magnify the text on their screen to a suitable size.
Some types of equipment are simple to use, others require some training. New technology is constantly changing and improving the independence of blind and partially-sighted people.
(Information courtesy of the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) - for further information visit: www.rnib.org.uk)
TIMBERBOOKS WEBSITE
At Timberbooks we work closely with our website designers, Paligap, to ensure to the best of our abilities that the timberbooks.co.uk website complies with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and is accessible to people with sight problems.