23 September 2005

Web accessibility will top of the agenda at the forthcoming conference of the Museums and Galleries Disability Association.

The conference will be discussing a report from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council entitled Accessibility of Museum, Library and Archive Websites.

The research was carried out by City University and is based on an audit of around 300 libraries and museums.

The report found that only 42 per cent of websites researched had met basic technical accessibility guidelines and their user panel of disabled people did not find them particularly easy to use.

A panel of blind, partially sighted and dyslexic web users tested out the sites and almost a quarter found it impossible to complete the basic tasks they were set.

Archive websites were found to be the most accessible, with over half reaching basic requirements.

The conference will be hosted by the Manchester Art Gallery and is open to all professionals in the museum and gallery world.

© Adfero Ltd

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