Bruce Maguire, proprietor of Brailleways, a company which produces material in braille, large print, and electronic text format, knows the issue firsthand.
Maguire shot into the spotlight just before the 2000 Sydney Olympics when he lodged a complaint against SOCOG because the official games site was not accessible to him as a blind person.
"What that case has done is to show that Web access is an important issue, and I think there are more people aware of Web access than they were before," Maguire said.
Maguire believes that overall the attitudes of businesses towards Web site accessibility are improving, although he still believes it's patchy. "Some companies are aware of the issues much more than others, and there is also quite a variation in the quality of what is being done," he said.
According to Maguire, under Federal disability discrimination legislation it's unlawful for anyone who supplies goods and services to discriminate on the grounds of disabilities. And that covers Web sites.
While he believes there are many companies which are aware of the Disability Discrimination Act, he's not so sure they're all aware of what it means for them in terms of making their Web sites accessible.
-I think the single most important thing that companies need to do seek expert advice on making their sites accessible," Maquire said. -Companies need to be making an effort to consult experts, rather than thinking their in-house designers can do it."
Graeme Innes, the federal Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner also believes that companies need to become more aware of the value of making their Web sites accessible.
Although he believes Australia has progressed since the complaint against SOCOG, Innes said that by no means meant that all sites were accessible. -We would suggest that people have become more aware of the legal requirements to make Web sites accessible."
However, industry bodies have been getting involved in the push for greater accessibility. On Thursday submissions close for comment on the Australian Bankers' Association (ABA) Disability Action Plan. The plan has been lodged with the Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC).
ABA spokesperson, Heather Wellard, said it was currently in the consultation process for the industry standards with both banks and community groups. Although the organisation hasn't set a date for the release of the standards yet, she expects it will be sometime in March.
I cannot believe Tel$tra and their money making ways, they rip aussies off whilst Optus give us a better deal.. Go figure why they are makin rec0rd profits!#@$@%$.. hmmm and their shares plummet and customers drop out like flys,, Who wants to use a rip off service?
Comon Telstra, give us aussies a break, offer us a decent deal please!
I just hope there is more competition soon, for broadband and competitive dial up net access
grrrr@tel$tra