Reporting accessibility issues (U.K.)

Having spotted an accessibility issue with a major PC components website in the UK, I decided to report it on http://www.fixtheweb.net/, which had some BBC coverage a while back. But I was a bit surprised by the apparent attitude of this website: the home page and the FAQs seem to project the idea (perhaps unintentionally) that you need to be disabled in order to be able to find and report accessibility problems. The whole thing is a bit off-putting, actually, when it could have been more inclusive. Certain degree of irony there, I think.

I’m mostly just sounding off here, I admit. I don’t particularly want to submit a report to Fix The Web, based on its off-putting stance, so I’ll probably raise it directly with the company concerned. Someone should be informed in any case. But the people behind this website, which is a very good idea in principle, should ensure that they actively encourage anyone to report accessibility issues, whether they are disabled or not, average web users, pros, knowledgeable web users, or whatever.

It might actually achieve more.

Unless they state that you must be disabled somewhere on the site, I wouldn’t assume that. It looks to me like they are just pointing out the most obvious situation.

I guess you could argue that if there’s something you can’t access, then you are disabled.

Well, I can access it. It’s just that I spotted by chance that keyboarders wouldn’t be able to track the focus (no focus styles) or open the dropdown menus, which are hover only.

Ha ha, you’ll be busy if you want to report every site in that situation. :smiley:

No, you don’t need to have a disability to report web accessibility issues, I have a disability but it doesn’t matter that I do anyone can still report the error.

No focus styles probably don’t count as a high enough priority to consider it ‘unreasonable’ to accessing content. It depends upon the context of those menus too as to whether they are creating an actual barrier or just a inconvenience.

You can still report the issue but if keyboard user can disable CSS and use the site normally then it’s not a major crime but might be worth informing the website owners of their legal duty as a service provider to make “reasonable adjustments”.

However, let’s consider the SP Blogs now there would a justified reason for filing a complaint against them take for example: Thinking Web: Voices of the Community » SitePoint

If your browser hasn’t JS enabled you cannot comment on that post. This can be considered a barrier because the web author could have used server side technology to allow you to SUBMIT a comment.

Furthermore if you have JS enabled you cannot see the other comments on that page, which again raises concern because then it’s also blocking the JS enabled user-agent from viewing content. If it were a UK website I certainly would be contacting the company in question.

adh - I tend to read into that as, people fall into a few buckets,

  • disabled, cannot just close JAWS and use the site
  • web devs, like myself, who get paid to fix sites, tell/teach others how to do accessibility
  • web devs, that just do it - know accessibility 101
  • web devs, who do accessibility for 5 minutes cause their boss bugged them to, threat of law suit
  • web devs/users, who are oblivious to accessibility.

I think that site caters to group 1 & 2.