BSI publishes first British web accessibility standard

The British Standards Institution has developed the first UK standard for web accessibility, in a bid to help website owners make their sites usable for disabled and older people.

BSI published the BS 8878 Web Accessibility Code of Practice on Tuesday. The standard builds on guidance published in 2006, and adds to other sources of similar advice, such as the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. The new guidance also comes as the Equality Act 2010 forces information providers to make their web products accessible, BSI pointed out in a statement.

"We all recognise that the digital age promises huge benefits — for organizations and consumers alike. It's also the case, as noted in the UK government's recent eAccessibility Action Plan, that too many people are excluded from participating fully in these," BSI standards chief Mike Low said. "We are pleased therefore that BS 8878 is central to the Action Plan's aim to update current advice on making public and private sector websites more accessible."

The BBC's Jonathan Hassell, who chairs the committee that was responsible for developing BS 8878, noted in the statement that the standard "provides an end-to-end guide which identifies the key decisions web production teams make which affect whether or not their products will include or exclude disabled and older people".