Clarification on the UK Disability and Discrimination Act

If your organization has customers in the UK we highly recommend you review the draft BS8878 standard.  It provides new guidance and recommendations on the Disability and Discrimination Act.

Below are some experts from the document:

“It is not possible to provide a definitive specification for a fully accessible web site which will satisfy the requirements of the DDA” [H.1.1] … “Only the court can decide”[E.8]

“Evidence that a web site conforms to WCAG Level A or higher will be useful but it less likely to be influential before a court or tribunal than evidence of successful user testing.” [E.8]

This is quite a different approach to accessibility that recognizes the difference between the following:

1. Content that is technically ‘visible’ to a screen reader (Access).
2. Content that enables the user to achieve their task (Use).
3. Content that facilitates a good experience (Enjoyment).

The overall feel of BS8878 seems to imply that a customer in the UK who has a bad experience with a company due to their disability is entitled to sue that company, regardless of that organization’s adherence to any technical standards.

Here’s our interpretation: because a human judgment (a court or tribunal) is required to recognize a violation of the DDA, every organization must be able to tell an honest and compelling story about the “reasonable steps” they took to ensure disabled users will have a good experience with their product or service.

Going above the minimum ‘reasonable steps’, has your organization gone beyond the call of duty to deliver a great customer experience to all of your customers?

Would you be willing to share what you did?