Quote Originally Posted by mentorman View Post
Hi folks, hope to get some guidance regarding compliance of websites for local government. I produce some websites for Parish Councils and they need to be compliant ( by end Sept) with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The requirements which need a lawyer to decipher ( like all legislation) basically are an extension of the disability act and extended to making all the websites accessible and cover:

vision – severely sight impaired (blind), sight impaired (partially sighted) or colour blind people
hearing – people who are deaf or hard of hearing
mobility – those who find it difficult to use a mouse or keyboard
thinking and understanding – people with dyslexia, autism or learning difficulties

They look at how sites can be made to meet these needs:

use a keyboard instead of a mouse
change browser settings to make content easier to read
use a screen reader to ‘read’ (speak) content out loud
use a screen magnifier to enlarge part or all of a screen
use voice commands to navigate a website

I have gone through and cannot see how my xara websites can be updated to meet these new requirements. It of course doesn't say whether it is required that text readers etc have to be accessible directly from the site or whether instructions need to be in place as to where (o/s or browser) they can be accessed by those needing them.

Anyone help me through the minefield

Ken
Ken, a number of things are out of your hands.

Keyboard navigation - browsers already allow tabbing through content. You just have to make the content more meaningful. More later.
Browser setting changes - out of your control. You can use Scale to Fit to ensure largest screen coverage.
Screen Reader - out of your control. You just have to make the content more meaningful. More later.
Screen Magnifier - out of your control.
Voice Commands - out of your control.

Things you must do:
  • Use H1/H2/H3 Tags properly.
  • Change all major images to meaningful and relevant Image Filenames (v17.0).
  • Ensure all images have Alt text.
  • Avoid pop-ups and flashing intros.
  • Replace Xara Navbars with properly marked up CSS.
  • Ditto for Tables with data rather than just presentational.
  • Possibly change larger text blocks by adding the Name HTMLBlockText.
  • Work to a target like https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/...ty-principles/ or get the Regulations Texting approach.

Acorn