Law firms are failing to make their Web sites accessible to disabled people - and risk litigation under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) as a result, leading Internet consultants and solicitors warned this week.

Law firms that place recruitment advertisements on their Web sites or use on-line application procedures will be under a duty to make their sites accessible to disabled applicants from 1 October under the DDA.


A preliminary survey of the top 20 UK law firms conducted by Web site consultancy Intendance found that none of the sites currently complies with the minimum standards for disabled access suggested by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international governing body of the Internet. Many Web sites pose difficulties for those who are unable to use a mouse, are severely dyslexic or suffer from a visual impairment or colour blindness.



Intendance used an automated technology program to test firms' Web sites for compliance with the W3C minimum standard, using criteria including ease of navigation, colour contrast, and whether sites would support changes to text size. It also tested compatibility with screenreading technology, which employs a synthetic voice to read Web site content out to users.


Intendance director James Tuke said: 'Our initial research suggests that the majority of law firms have yet to achieve even the lowest level of compliance set by W3C guidelines. We are getting an increasing number of firms coming to us who are aware of the October deadline.'



Sue Maynard Campbell, chairwoman of the Group for Solicitors with Disabilities, said: 'Not just law firms, but a huge number of service providers and employers are not understanding the consequences of failing to make their Web sites accessible - in terms of dissatisfied customers and preventing good potential employees from applying for jobs. Not only that, but there is considerable potential for litigation against firms.'


She added: 'This is not compliance legislation, with a list of exactly what must be achieved. It is all about doing what is reasonable. What a large firm would be expected to do is different to what would be expected of a smaller firm or a sole practitioner.


'Really this should be seen as a business issue about attracting the right people - if firms look at it in that way they will want to go for best practice.'



By 1 October, law firms and other companies will also have to make reasonable adjustments to their premises to ensure that disabled people are not excluded from access to the services they offer. Specialist technology known as an 'induction loop' system has been devised to assist clients with impaired hearing, and may be installed in meeting rooms or reception areas.


The technology works by circling the listening area with a cable, fed by a loop amplifier. A microphone in front of the speaker sends a signal to the amplifier and the resulting electric current creates a magnetic field that is picked up by the hearing aid.