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Digital technology provides the potential to widen access to information by allowing more people to access information in a format of their choice and from a location convenient to them. Despite this, technology can still present barriers; research has shown that people with disabilities are at most risk of being excluded from access, and in particular people who are blind or visually impaired and who use assistive technologies such as screen readers. Although assistive technologies can enable people with disabilities to ‘read’ online materials, unless these materials are designed in a way that can be interpreted by the assistive technologies, barriers to access will still exist. Accessible web design, ‘design for all’, or ‘universal access’ can remove these barriers and help to ensure as many users as possible can read and interact with websites, as well as ensure information can be interpreted by the technology used. A variety of methods are available to check web pages for accessibility and advice and guidelines on the subject of accessible web design are plentiful. However, studies show that despite a growing awareness of web accessibility issues, people are still experiencing barriers to access.

Research undertaken by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management has sought to enhance understanding of information seeking behaviour of blind and visually impaired people when using digital resources. The Non-Visual Access to the Digital Library project (NoVA) aimed to develop further understanding of user behaviour with web based resources, with particular reference to retrieval of information by blind and visually impaired people. Using a sample of 20 sighted and 20 visually impaired people, users undertook a number of information seeking tasks using four different electronic resources. Each step of the information seeking process was logged (at keystroke or equivalent level) and pre-task and post-task questions were asked in order to gather qualitative data. Results revealed that visually impaired users spend more time searching or browsing the web with times varying considerably depending on the design of the site. Overall, visually impaired users have to spend more time navigating around each page, especially if, for example, the page contains a lot of information or has many links. Observations revealed that people with more experience with the assistive technology they were using were more successful with the task. Whereas designers may assume that everyone has access to the new versions of assistive technology, this is not always the case. Designers, therefore, will have to take such realities into account.

The Internet provides a unique opportunity to widen access to information for everyone. The variety and levels of information provided online is vast and growing on a daily basis. Increasingly this may also be the only format that is readily available and for some people this can present a barrier in terms of access. Access can be problematic for people who cannot see or who cannot easily read text or graphics on-screen, as well as for people who have early versions of a web browser or a slow Internet connection. To ensure people are not excluded from the information society, access to information and the development of fully accessible web sites must be given a high priority. This briefing paper considers the concept of universal web design and how legislation now requires service providers to take steps to ensure barriers to access are removed. It will then look at how these barriers can be removed through the use of access technology and through adopting good practice methods in interface design, and finally highlight some of the technological developments emerging in the area of accessibility and design for all.

It is recognised that in order to participate fully in today's society it is vital that citizens are not excluded for any reason, whether by virtue of birth, belief, aptitude or circumstance. Exclusion takes many forms and must be countered in many different ways. Funded by Resource and undertaken by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM) at Manchester Metropolitan University, the NoVA project is concerned with countering the exclusion from access to information which can all too easily occur when individuals do not have so-called 'normal' vision. Our domain in this project is digital library services, and our concern is that all such services should, in their entirety, be as accessible to blind and visually impaired people as to anyone else.

To ensure access to information is available for all, consideration of the different needs of people must be taken into account. This paper considers accessibility issues in terms of content provision and the design of webpages and focuses on issues relating to blind and visually impaired users. It reviews the current situation in UK higher education libraries with regard to the provision of accessible library webpages and considers policy and legislation which should have an impact on web designers who are addressing accessibility issues. The paper then goes on to describe work undertaken for a Disability and Information Systems in Higher Education (DISinHE) study on the accessibility of university library websites and the current levels of awareness of accessibility issues among university library web designers. Finally, it identifies a number of useful resources and advice for the design of accessible websites.

The Integrated Accessible Library: A model of service development for the 21st century makes the case for a national initiative to make all library and information services accessible to people who are blind or have a visual impairment. The Resources for Visually Impaired Users of the Electronic Library (REVIEL) Project has investigated the current state of accessible services and explored what would be needed to achieve national excellence in this field. A model is presented in The Integrated Accessible Library: A model of service development for the 21st century, which if implemented would enable libraries to fulfil their responsibilities to provide inclusive services, ensuring that no-one is excluded because of their visual impairment. As we move into increasingly electronic information environments, in which visual images are playing an increasing role as carriers of content, inclusion cannot be achieved by default or by wishful thinking or by small bands of committed volunteers. Making all library and information services accessible should be on the agenda of every information professional and every policy maker. Working together, we can reach the goal of accessible services.