UKs Telecoms Web sites Hard to Access

Communication is what their business is all about, but when it comes to interacting with special needs customers via websites, the telecom industry still doesn’t have its act together. Computing and disability charity AbilityNet says in its latest assessment of websites’ usability and accessibility that only three of the top ten telecom companies met the basic needs of visitors who have vision impairment, dyslexia or a physical problem that makes mouse use difficult. Only three sites gained three stars or more in its five-star rating.

With an estimated 1.6 million registered blind, 1.5 million with cognitive difficulties, a further 3.4 million who are otherwise IT disabled and 6 million with dyslexia, not only are they letting down a large proportion of their customers for whom communication is vital, but they’re missing out on a very valuable market.
 
Leading the accessibility field in the telecoms sector is Onetel, which was awarded a four-star rating for its website - only the second time that any site in the regular surveys has gained such a high score. Kingston Communications also got a four-star rating - but, unlike the others, it’s an information-only site. Runner up was BT, which at least obtained the minimum accessability criteria of three stars. But NTL, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone only got two stars, with three just one star.
 
Read the full article on The Guardian (UK)