Jargon Buster
W
WAN (Wide Area Network)
WANs offer ways of linking computers at different office sites, perhaps hundreds of miles apart, so that they can share information and specialised peripherals.
Web
The web is the common shorthand term for the World Wide Web.
Web page
A document designed for viewing in a web browser. Typically written in HTML. A web site is made of one or more web pages.
Website
The entire collection of web pages and other information (such as images, sound, and video files, etc.) that are made available through what appears to users as a single web server. Typically all of the pages in a web site share the same basic URL.
The term has a somewhat informal nature since a large organization might have separate “web sites” for each division, but someone might talk informally about the organizations’ “web site” when speaking of all of them.
Web browser
A software program that enables someone to surf the web. The two most common browsers are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape.
Accessibility
Legislation, standards and guidelines
WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is an international consortium devoted to promoting accessibility on the web. Their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are generally accepted as the definitive guidelines on web accessibility and accessible design techniques, and many other apparent sets of standards and guidelines actually refer back to the WAI guidelines.
UK legislation and standards
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)
Full text of this act of parliament.
Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001
Full text of this act of parliament. This act amended Part IV of the DDA as applied to educational organisations and establishments.
The Law
What the law says about eliminating disability discrimination, on the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) website. Includes links to information about the DDA and to the Codes of Practice for the DDA.
Codes of Practice for the DDA and SENDA
Codes of practice explaining legal rights and requirements under the DDA, produced by the UK government and the DRC.
Guidelines for UK government and local authority websites
Published by the e-Government Unit in the Cabinet Office.
DRC report into web accessibility
Report from the DRC's formal investigation into access and inclusion for disabled people to the web, April 2004.
Outside the UK
Policies relating to web accessibility (WAI list)
Legislation and policies relating to web accessibility around the world - Australia, Canada, Denmark, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, UK, USA.
Laws and standards (WebAIM list)
Web accessibility laws and standards in various countries around the world - USA, Canada, European Union, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, New Zealand.
Irish National Disability Authority IT accessibility guidelines
Includes guidelines for web and software.
Learning disabilities
Mencap
Guide to making information accessible to people with a learning disability.
Flash
Macromedia Accessibility
Macromedia's central resource contains tutorials, product specifications, listings and showcases of accessible Flash.
Macromedia Accessibility weblog
Weblog run by Bob Reagan of Macromedia.
PDF
Adobe Accessibility
Guidelines, tools and advice on making PDF documents accessible.
