Changes to Website Accessibility

The Sydney Olympics website set an international precedent when a website user with visual impairment could not access information on an event that was being run. He was awarded $20,000 under the Disability Discrimination Act

One in five Australians has a disability, and the proportion is growing.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities asserts the right of people with a disability to participate fully and independently in all aspects of society, including the internet and access to information

The Australian Human Rights Commission have given clear guidelines for implementing WCAG 2.0 in Australia – all existing non-government websites and web content should comply with WCAG 2.0 to a minimum level of AA conformance by December 31 2013.
In December 2006 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Australia was one of the first signatories to the Convention, and it subsequently ratified it in July 2008.
While the Australian Government has primary responsibility for meeting Australia’s obligations under the Convention, all sections of society, including industry, educational institutions, and community organisations, must play an active role in upholding the rights established by the Convention. Accordingly, any failure to provide full access to the web and other internet-based technologies for people with a disability may be seen as a violation of human rights.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) is a set of guidelines focussing on various technologies associated with the design or use of the web.

In June 2010, the Australian Government released its Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy (NTS), which sets out a strategy and workplan for transitioning to WCAG 2.0 over a four-year period. The Strategy is available at http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/wcag-2-implementation/index.html.