It’s Time To Escalate The Naming And Shaming Of Inaccessible Websites

It’s Time To Escalate The Naming And Shaming Of Inaccessible Websites

Fatigued senior man feeling tired from computer rubbing irritated eyes



getty

Last week marked a watershed moment in the relatively short history of the drive for universal web accessibility.

September 23 saw the passing of the deadline for public sector bodies across the EU to implement the Web Accessibility Directive. Despite the ongoing Brexit negotiations, this has also simultaneously been transposed into U.K. law via the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Apps) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (PSBAR).

The requirements are relatively straightforward — public sector bodies including central government departments, local authorities, NHS Trusts and universities are now compelled by law to conform to a recognized global standard for web accessibility known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1).

The new obligations had