Seminar to raise awareness on web site accessibility
17 - 01 - 2002

A seminar promoting public awareness on enhancing the accessibility of Interent web sites will be held next Tuesday (January 22).

Webmasters, web page designers and interested individuals are welcome to join the seminar which is jointly organised by the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) and the Internet Professionals Association.

The seminar aims at introducing to the information technology industry and the general public the usability and accessibility considerations in web site implementation.

"The Government is concerned about making web sites accessible to all groups of people in the community including those with disabilities," said a spokesman for the ITSD today (January 17).

"Although the emergence and development of the Internet have made access to information and services easier and cheaper, currently there are still a lot of web sites inaccessible to people with disabilities."

"Enhancing web accessibility helps to increase the general usability of web sites and will therefore attract more visitors."

"By providing consistent and logical navigation, clear and well-presented content and other assistive tools, the accessibility and usability of web sites can be improved," said the spokesman.

The seminar is one of the Government's activities promoting the importance of web accessibility to people with disabilities and how to improve web sites.

Its participants will be introduced with the underlying design concepts and techniques to make web site accessible to people with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired.

The topics to be covered in the seminar include the spirit of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, ways to improve the accessibility of web pages, and sharing of experiences in developing accessible-to-all web pages.

The seminar will be held at Theatre 2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, from 2.30 pm to 5.40 pm on January 22. It is free of charge and will be conducted in Cantonese.

Webmasters, web page designers and people who are interested in the seminar can obtain more information and make on-line registration at the "Digital 21" web site (http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/events/seminar020122.html).

"Information on tips for improving accessibility of web pages is also available at the 'Digital 21' web site for public reference," said the spokesman.

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