Accessibility standards benefit all

First and foremost Salford City Council is a public service provider and so we have to provide information that is accessible to all sections of our community, regardless of ability.

Legislation has brought about new rights for disabled peoples. Employers and service providers must not discriminate against a person for a reason connected with their disability. They must also make reasonable adjustments to the way in which they offer their services. This applies as much to websites as it does to ensure that wheelchair access to council buildings is possible.

But accessibility is not just about ensuring that disabled people can access information. It is also about ensuring that the wide variety of users and devices can all gain access to information, thereby maximising the potential audience and letting users experience the pages the way they choose to.

An accessible site is one that accommodates the full range of users. Designing for accessibility therefore means accepting that, for online information, there is:

  • no standard information user, and,
  • no standard device for browsing information

An accessible website does not exclude anybody due to:

  • their abilities, or
  • the method they choose to access the web

Accessible websites prioritise clear content, structure and ease of navigation over frilly aspects of design, however they also need not be visually unattractive, nor are they prevented from using the latest web technologies, provided that all information is still accessible to users.

See also: accessibility statement

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