4 01732 759725 NEWS NEWSUK public sector leads the way in digital accessibility More than 1.3 billion people globally struggle to access online content, claims the Contentsquare Foundation, with just 7% of top websites scoring highly for digital accessibility. For its 2024 Digital Accessibility Barometer, the non-profit dedicated to advancing digital accessibility surveyed 100 of the most visited websites in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) to assess levels of compliance across 17 accessibility criteria. Just seven of the 100 websites assessed score 9/10 or higher, of which five are from public sector organisations. The average for all public sector organisations is 7.8, compared to 6.4 across all sectors audited. The difference between the performance of public and private sector websites is most pronounced in Europe where public sector websites outscore private sector ones by 44%. In the US, where private sector websites are more heavily regulated through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and at greater risk of high-profile class action lawsuits, public sector websites score just 11% higher. Overall, US sites are the best performing, with an average of 7/10, with UK sites in second place with an average score of 6.5/10, thanks to an average UK public sector score of 8.4/10 due to a strong regulatory framework and national accessibility standards, such as the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations. Marion Ranvier, Executive Director of the Contentsquare Foundation, says that one of the biggest obstacles to digital accessibility is a lack of awareness and expertise within organisations, as well as resistance to change, with many companies underestimating the importance of accessibility or viewing it as a compliance burden rather than a critical component of the user experience and inclusivity. She said: “Bridging the accessibility gap requires proactive measures, including investing in training programs to build internal expertise and fostering a culture of accessibility. You really need everyone on board, starting with your leadership team.” As a starting point, Ranvier advises organisations to address the most common online accessibility barriers, such as: • Media and moving content: Ensure videos and animations include captions and transcripts and provide controls to pause or stop autoplay content to support users with disabilities or sensitivities. • Colour and text adaptability: Improve colour contrast for better readability and offer options to adjust text size, spacing and contrast to support users with visual impairments. • Images: Add descriptive alt-text to images so that screen reader users can access important visual information. • Keyboard navigation: Ensure all interactive elements, such as menus and forms, are fully operable using a keyboard to accommodate users without mouse control. https://join.contentsquarefoundation.org … Changing perceptions The Business Disability Forum (BDF) chose December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, to Cisco technology powering world’s first virtual hospital Cisco is helping Ireland to look after more patients at home through the creation of the world’s first ‘virtual hospital’ in partnership with the University of Galway and the CÚRAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices. Unlike other projects that are focused on individual medical specialties, this initiative brings together multiple clinical areas, with virtual wards for Diabetes, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation. It also covers different stages of treatment, providing community virtual care pathways for monitoring chronic conditions, virtual wards to support early discharge, digital therapies to support rehabilitation and virtual outpatient services for remote appointments and multiparameter diagnostics. Cisco networking technologies, Webex devices and cybersecurity and application visibility solutions are key components of the digital infrastructure powering the ‘virtual hospital’. The project, initially available across Galway, builds on other digital healthcare pilots supported by Cisco. These include the Home Health project in Clare Island, which uses a variety of digital tools to support an ageing population of 160 residents, notably smart wearables to track vital signs, drones to fly in prescriptions, VR headsets to deliver training for nurses, and a robotic dog to triage emergency health issues. Emma Burke, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Respiratory at Galway University Hospitals and Virtual Care Lead for the Galway City Integrated Care Hub with Patient Frank O’Connell Marion Ranvier
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