Legal Compliance

"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."

- Sir Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

Legal hammer symbolWithin the public sector it is paramount that an accessible website and intranet is provided. It is a legal requirement for organisations and departments within the public sector to provide a website and intranet that meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Double-A accessibility standard.

Those in the public sector also have the Disability Equality Duty (DED) to comply to. The DED was set up as a way of helping the public sector make a positive, tangible change to the lives of those with disabilities and public sector employees, ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and equally.

Across Great Britain, 45,000 public bodies, for example, central and local government, schools, health trusts, are covered by the DED, of which many have specific duties to meet with strict timescales.

Why Defacto will help you stay compliant

TickDefacto can help your public sector organisation meet their accessibility obligations by only producing valid XHTML, providing an essential foundation for an accessible website.

Including functionality that helps you to maintain an accessible website, Defacto ensures that your website editors are equipped to maintain your website’s accessibility:

  • e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) – Defacto provides public sector organisations the ability to comply with the e-GIF, this enables government bodies to;
    • To benefit from a seamless flow of information across government and public service organisations;
    • To set practical standards using a supported system;
    • To provide support, guidance and toolkits to enable the standards to be met;
  • Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV) – Defacto allows you to create and maintain your IPSV metadata in an user friendly environment;
  • Easy to update and therefore easier to communicate with your citizens. The greater the accessibility of your website the broader the range of people your organisation can reach.