Source: http://gcr.syr.edu/Government%20Relations/index.html
Government intervention
Governments across the world understand that we are in an age where Internet access and use is growing exponentially. Media and technology are their main resource that they use to talk to the public. Thus, they are acting with the times. The main goal of the US Government is to reach and help as many people as possible. However, they realize that many Internet outlets can only reach so many people. With this, they have acknowledged people with disabilities on many of their websites.
A snapshot from the US Social Security website. The 'Accessibility' webpage is clearly located in the top right of the homepage- a sure way of reaching people who need assistance.
The US Social Security website is one of the most accessible websites I have found among many governmental websites. The accessibility page is clearly located with a wheelchair symbol. If clicked, the page gives options to select a disability and offers solutions to these problems. For example, if you select “I can’t see very well,” the site gives options such as “increase text size” or “read pages out loud.” These options facilitate use among the disabled and should be used across the Internet. Other websites should use this website and other governmental sites as models.
An additional example of a government enabling Internet use among the disabled was seen in 2005 in the UK. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced into England in order to appease the disabled and their advocates. Since then, it has had a huge positive impact on the disabled community. Among many of the policies, website access was mentioned. It states that all of their governmental websites must be accessible. Additionally, the act set up a webpage where people can report websites that aren’t accessible. Bravo, UK.
An additional example of a government enabling Internet use among the disabled was seen in 2005 in the UK. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced into England in order to appease the disabled and their advocates. Since then, it has had a huge positive impact on the disabled community. Among many of the policies, website access was mentioned. It states that all of their governmental websites must be accessible. Additionally, the act set up a webpage where people can report websites that aren’t accessible. Bravo, UK.