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Editors Draft: $Date: 2010/04/23 07:40:23 $ [changelog]
Status: This document is an outdated Draft. The published version is at <www.w3.org/WAI/users/inaccessible.html. Please send comments to wai-eo-editors@w3.org (a publicly archived list).

Contacting Organizations about Inaccessible Websites

Introduction

Your feedback to an organization can help improve the accessibility of websites for you and many other people who use the websites. Website owners have many priorities for changes and improvements, and the more an organization hears about accessibility from people who use their website, the more likely it is that accessibility will become a higher priority. Positive feedback is useful, as well as critical feedback.

Some website owners are not even aware of the importance of making their website accessible. Websites are required to be accessible in many countries by national policies. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that people with disabilities have a right to access information and services via the Internet. Also, accessible websites provide business benefits for website owners and benefits for people without disabilities.

This document provides guidance on encouraging organizations to make their websites accessible, particularly when you find accessibility barriers on a website. While most accessibility barriers are caused by poor website design, some accessibility problems might be related to settings in your web browser or assistive technology. (WAI plans to publish guidance on how to customize your settings so it's easier to use websites in early 2010.)

Consider Your Approach

When contacting an organization about accessibility, consider what approach will get the results you want. The tone of your emails, phone calls, and other communications will impact how people react and respond.

Keep in mind that there are different reasons why websites are not accessible. Some organizations don't know about accessibility and don’t know how to make their websites accessible. Some are just learning about accessibility and trying to make their website accessible, although they might not be doing it well enough yet. And there are some organizations that choose not to make their websites accessible.

Often is is best when you first contact an organization to assume that they don’t know about the accessibility barriers on their website. Based on their response and what you learn about the organization's position on accessibility, you can adjust your approach and choose follow up actions that are likely to be most effective.

Asking Others to Help

If you are not sure about using websites and assistive technologies, consider asking someone to help you understand the problem you are having and help you communicate it to the website owners.

If you aren't comfortable contacting an organization with an inaccessible website directly, consider asking others to help. Advocacy groups of people with disabilities, of older people, or others, may be interested in contacting the organization about their inaccessible website.

Encouraging Accessible Websites

Consider also acknowledging and encouraging organizations that do a good job of making their websites accessible and easy to use by people with disabilities and older people. Positive feedback can motivate individuals and help the case for organizations to continue pursuing accessibility. Organizations not yet investing in web accessibility may be enticed by the accolades others get from their efforts.

Identify Key Contacts

It is best to figure out the person responsible for the web page or application that is inaccessible, or the person responsible for accessibility at the organization. If that is difficult, use whatever contact you can find. Look for links on the web page such as:

• Accessibility
• Editor, Author, Page Owner, Webmaster
• Contact Us, Feedback, Comments
• Help, Support, Customer Service, “FAQ” (frequently asked questions)

Some links will be email addresses, and some will go to online forms or other ways to contact the organization.

If you cannot find contacts on the website, other places to look include:

• telephone directory
• local library and librarian
• local business directory
• public companies register

Describe the Problem

To help the organization diagnose and fix accessibility barriers, clearly describe where the problem occurred, what the problem is, what you were trying to do, and what computer and software you're using. Consider including a screen shot of the web page that has the problem.

Where is the Problem?

Include the web address (also called URL), or a description of the page.

e.g.

What is the Problem?

Provide details about what you were trying to do, and why it was difficult or impossible to do it.

e.g.

What Computer and Software are You Using?

Provide details about your computer and software. If you don't know, maybe a friend, relative, or colleague can help you. If not, you can skip this part.

Include:

• the operating system you are using, and the version; for example, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux Ubuntu 9.10
• the browser software you use to view the Web, and the version; for example, Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6), Firefox 3.5, Chrome 3.0.195.38, Opera 10, Safari 4.0.4, etc.

If it is related to the problem you are experiencing, also include:

• any settings you have customized; for example, I set the Font Size to Largest in my browser
• any assistive technology that you use; for example, screen reader, screen magnification software, voice recognition software for input

e.g.

Even if you don’t know all the details, include what you do know.

e.g.

Note: Do not reveal personal information such as passwords, via email or otherwise. Do not provide any information that you are not comfortable disclosing.

Include Sources for More Information

Consider telling organization about the following resources to help them understand these web accessibility issues:

• Accessibility - W3C
  http://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility.html
• Introduction to Web Accessibility
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php
• Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/Overview.html
• How People with Disabilities Use the Web
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web.html
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php

Request Reply

Ask the organization to reply to you, and include how you want them to contact you, for example, by email. If you are comfortable, include a phone number in case they want to learn more about the problem.

Follow-Up as Needed

Responsible organizations will follow up with you; however, sometimes you might need to follow up with them.

Be Available for Follow-up

The website developers might need more information from you to help them diagnose and fix the problem.

Keep Records for Further Follow-Up

You might need records if you later decide to take further action. In particular:

• Keep copies of the website when you first encounter the problem and any time the website changes, for example make electronic screen shots, save the pages locally, or print the pages that contain the problem.
• Keep printed or electronic copies of all correspondence, including email, postal mail, online forms.
• Keep records of all phone calls; including the dates, the names of who you talked with, and notes on what was said.

Getting a Response

Different organizations have different cultures and systems for managing correspondence and handling feedback and complaints. Some organizations can respond quickly, while others take longer because of their size or internal processes. For example, some government departments and large organizations have a policy of responding to correspondence within four weeks.

Sometimes you will get a reply that is just an acknowledgement that the organization received your contact. This may be automatically generated, especially if you used an online feedback form. The organization should later follow up with a direct reply to your issue.

Sometimes organizations do not have expertise in accessibility and might not understand your feedback. They might assume the issue is with your browser or assistive technology.

If you do not receive satisfactory responses within a reasonable timeframe, consider taking further action, described below. Note that in some cases, the organization might fix the problem and not notify you.

Further Action to Consider

If you feel the organization is not adequately resolving the accessibility problem, consider what further action would be useful in your case, such as:

• Contacting an advocacy group of people with disabilities, of older people, or others, to see if they will get involved.
• Contacting the organization's senior management, such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Managing Director, or Chief Business Officer.
• Using online community resources, such as blogging or social networking, to tell others about the inaccessible website and what the organization did in response to your contact.
• Contacting the press or writing a "letter to the editor".
• Starting a petition (maybe online).
• If it is a government website, contacting your local government or parliamentary representative.
• Lodging a formal complaint with the relevant industry regulator or ombudsman.
• Contacting the government department responsible for disability rights, older people's rights, or human rights.
• Considering legal action, for example, based on web accessibility requirements in anti-discrimination regulations in your country.

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Sample Emails

Feel free to adapt these sample emails for your situation.

Email Template

In the template below, the [hints] in brackets are sections for you to complete.

Sample Email 1

Sample Email 2

Sample Email 3

Document Information

DRAFT. Content last updated: $Date: 2010/04/23 07:40:23 $. [changelog]
Editors: Andrew Arch, Shawn Henry and Shadi Abou-Zahra. Contributors: Judy Brewer, Suzette Keith, Jennifer Sutton, and participants of the WAI-AGE Task Force and Education and Outreach Working Group. Developed as part of the WAI-AGE Project (IST 035015) funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework.

[Contacting WAI] Feedback welcome to wai-eo-editors@w3.org (a publicly archived list).