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Having read PAS 78
- John Oxton
- Mon Mar 13, 08:20 pm
Well I have read the document they call PAS 78 Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites once and I will no doubt read it again. But was it worth the £35.25? Should every British web designer rush out and buy it?
Though I still can't help but think it should be free (for is the sharing of knowledge freely not the very thing that drives the web standards movement?) I do find myself surprisingly enthusiastic about this document. Perhaps mostly because it puts some of the onus back on the site owner to take some responsibility for accessibility rather than just slinging it to the web designer and telling him/her to make it so, without thought for the how.
The question of whether any self-respecting British web developer should buy a copy answers itself really: if you are aiming to get involved with bigger projects, or to work within a large corporation, you are going to need to do your homework. For any aspiring web developer or media student, or indeed college lecturers, I'd also certainly add it to the essential reading list. Sure, it might not look as sexy on your coffee table as a collection of the latest releases from the A-list but it will give you some useful insight.
And if you're not in the UK or not planning to work with UK business? The information is still very relevant but if you are already up to speed with web standards and accessibility, it's probably not worth shelling out the cash.
The bad news, for me at least, is the target audience: big business. If I was to ask anyone running a small to medium sized business to read this before we embarked on a project, they'd probably run a mile. This document seems to be aimed at projects with plenty of budget, where the website is a main point of sale, not just a brochure or simple shopping basket to supplement the other marketing materials. Usability studies, hiring an accessibility consultant so on and so forth. I should run the ideas presented past some of my clients who don't have infinite budgets and see what they think of the idea. Where this leads me, though, is that I should, as part of my proposals, put together a proposed route for small to medium business based on this document. I already try and introduce a culture of thinking accessible into all my projects but maybe this is the cue to write this stuff down and formalise it a little more.
I am also a deeply cynical person and there is a nagging thought in the back of my head that this document, in the wrong hands, could be a nightmare to work with. I can see it now: some poor developer being held to ransom by a badly written accessibility statement that some hot shot manager (who now considers himself an expert having flicked through PAS 78) has scribed over croissants and a latte. This is all the more reason, for me at least, why accreditation must be the next logical step in the process if we are to accept these publicly available specifications; if only so we can defend ourselves against the kind of people that really do belong in a Dilbert comic strip.
Which is why I ended up with the somewhat grandiose (and slightly elitist) conclusion that a bunch of BSI accredited web developers would be a much more powerful force than a single document alone. As an example imagine a web design showcase site run not by anyone who fancies setting one up but by accredited web developers; highlighting up and coming (and existing talent) who don't quite yet have the budget to become accredited but certainly have the skills. It also seems like a much fairer way to evaluate who might enter a group such as the Brit Pack.
My conclusions? I am happy the document has been written, I found it inspirational but because its out there and its mainstream rather than because it is telling me anything new. I hope this is only the tip of a much bigger iceberg, else its not going to be much use to anyone. Oh and of course: come on its got to be given away for free, it's only a matter of time before an unlicensed PDF starts circulating anyway.