6 minute read
Making your website
An astonishing 98% of websites fail to be fully compliant with the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). Now is the time for your business to start taking it seriously
Making your website accessible is a win-win that makes business sense
WHAT IS WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY AND WCAG?
The WCAG is a set of internationally recognised guidelines detailing how a website should behave to make it accessible to people with disabilities. In summary your site should be available to all users, including those with disabilities such as vision or motor impairment, epilepsy, or ADHD.
WHY SHOULD MY WEBSITE BE ACCESSIBLE?
The legal requirement If you’re based in the US or EU, or your website is targeting users in these regions, your website is legally required to be accessible. In the UK, commercial and SME websites’ accessibility rules are covered by the Equality Act 2010 that states website owners must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to make their site accessible to people with disabilities.
It’s the right thing to do By making your website accessible for all, you’re giving equal opportunity to access online resources that significantly help our everyday lives. 20% of the population live with some form of disability, and yet only 2% of the internet is currently accessible to them.
WHAT ARE THE BUSINESS BENEFITS?
Protection from legal action Website accessibility claims against businesses are on the rise and increasing year-on-year.
Brand exposure and awareness One of the most valuable benefits to UK organisations making their website accessible now is the opportunity to reach 20% more of the population by having an inclusive ethos.
Opportunity and increased revenue With 20% of the population, or 1.3 billion people globally, living with a disability; there is a potential reach of nearly £6 billion annually.
Learn more by visiting www.akikodesign.com/accessibility
WHY WASN’T MY SITE BUILT TO BE ACCESSIBLE?
For the majority of website owners full compliance as part of the build process simply isn’t economically viable due to cost or technical limitations (i.e. CMS frameworks, drag and drop builders, third party themes, plugins etc.). The cost of making a website fully compliant is usually more than the cost of building the site in the first place.
Websites are often dynamic in nature and part of an ever-changing environment, so what may be compliant today, might not be in a week’s time. Therefore it’s also not a one-off piece of work, but more of an ongoing requirement.
AN AFFORDABLE SOLUTION
Akiko Design offers WCAG compliance without costly website development, using AI technology to automatically adjust your existing content to make it available to users with vision or motor impairments.
Now is the time to get ahead of competitors, open up new revenue streams and support the disabled community, with what was once an extremely expensive investment, now an affordable opportunity with pricing from as little as £49 per month.
SURREY POLICE POLICING SURREY
By Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend
One of the key roles I have as Police and Crime Commissioner is to represent the views of those who live and work in Surrey and how our county is policed.
The principle of ‘policing by consent’ is one of the cornerstones of how police forces up and down the country operate. But to achieve that it is crucial we listen to our communities about what they want and expect from their police service.
I am currently in the process of putting together my Police and Crime Plan for the next three years and I want to hear what our residents and businesses have to say about policing in their local area and what they believe should be included.
The Police and Crime Plan will set out the key priorities and areas of policing which I believe Surrey Police need to focus on during my term of offi ce and provides the basis for how I hold the Chief Constable to account.
My offi ce will shortly be launching a public consultation to gather the thoughts of people across the county on what priorities they feel should be represented in the plan.
I know from speaking to residents across Surrey that there are issues that consistently cause concern such as speeding, anti-social behaviour and the safety of women and girls in our communities.
I want to ensure that my Police and Crime Plan is the right one for Surrey and refl ects a wide a range of views as possible on those issues that are important to people in our communities. A lot of work has already gone into developing the plan and my deputy PCC Ellie Vesey-Thompson has been busy consulting with a number of key groups such as MPs, councillors, victim and survivor groups, young people, professionals in crime reduction and safety, rural crime groups and those representing Surrey’s diverse communities. As you might expect some common themes have emerged and have given us some clear foundations on which to build the plan. We are now moving into the stage where we want to seek the views of the wider Surrey public and are launching a brief survey where people can have their say on what they would like to see in the plan.
It only takes a few minutes to complete and I would like as many people as possible to give us their views and help us shape the future of policing in this county.
So please do visit the front page of our website at www.surrey-pcc.gov.uk or check out our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see how you can get involved.
Surrey is a fantastic place to live and work and I know from speaking to people in every area of the county how highly they value our policing teams. I am committed to using this plan and working with the Chief Constable to ensure we have a policing service the people of Surrey can continue to be proud of.
❛❛ I want to ensure that my Police and Crime Plan is the right one for Surrey and reflects a wide a range of views as possible on those issues that are important to people in our communities ❜❜
NEW MEMBERS
Surrey Chambers of Commerce welcomes its latest member companies
When you join Surrey Chambers of Commerce, your company details automatically get listed on this page alongside fellow new members.
What a fantastic way to let the Surrey Business community know you are out there and ready to get those all-important connections.
CHERITH SIMMONS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
T: 01932 856565 cherithsimmons.co.uk Contact: Peter Waddell
GEP ENVIRONMENTAL LTD
T: 01962 600205 www.gepenv.co.uk Contact: Mark Weeks
BLUE DOT DISPLAY LTD
T: 01483 861168 www.bluedotdisplay.com Contact: John Lloyd
CAPITAL VIEWPOINT LTD
T: 07808 742301 capitalviewpoint.com Contact: Duncan Meares
GET AHEAD SURREY
T: 01483 338985 surrey.getaheadva.com Contact: Joanne McGowan
All new Chamber members are entitled to a one-off 50% discount for a company profi le within this magazine. Contact lesley@platinummediagroup.co.uk for more details
If you are looking to join Surrey Chambers, then please do get in touch with either: sarah.butcher@surrey-chambers.co.uk or tom.woods@surrey-chambers.co.uk or call 01483 735540. We look forward to hearing from you!
