Ever tried watching a Webcast without the speakers on? How about surfing the Internet with the monitor switched off?
The absence – from an Internet surfing session – of sight, sound, or any of the other features we take so much for granted could
Ever tried watching a Webcast without the speakers on? How about surfing the Internet with the monitor switched off?
The absence – from an Internet surfing session – of sight, sound, or any of the other features we take so much for granted could entirely ruin that experience for us.
But that’s precisely what more than three million Canadians, who suffer from disabilities, have to contend with each time they access the Web.
While Section 15 of the Charter makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability, there is currently no law in Canada that mandates Web accessibility to private Web site owners, according to Mary-Frances Laughton, director of Industry Canada’s Assistive Devices Office.
“[They’re two] different things: the Charter says it’s illegal to [discriminate], but there is no law that says you must make your [Web] site accessible,” Laughton said.
Nevertheless, people with disabilities who feel they are discriminated against by an inaccessible Web site covered under federal regulations – banking, telecom, broadcast, inter-provincial transport – can file a complaint before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
This is why Industry Canada’s Assistive Devices Office works with the private sector, such as telecom companies and banking institutions, encouraging them to enhance the accessibility of their products, systems and services, Laughton said.
Web accessibility means making the Internet usable for more people, regardless of their disability. For instance, adding descriptive text to a Web site would allow visually impaired individuals to get information from the site using screen reader software such as Linux-based Emacspeak or IBM Via Voice.
Laughton also expressed doubts that Canada would enact any legislation mandating Web accessibility among private Web site owners.
The director is also co-chair of the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative, which sets standards for making a Web site accessible to people with disabilities.
Currently, Government of Canada sites are required to have Web 