The Internet is now an integrated part of mainstream life. From doing our banking and shopping to finding out the latest news, sports results or cinema times, people are spending more and more time online.

The majority of the community is attracted to the ease and convenience offered by the Internet but for some within the community the increasingly online world is neither of those things.

For people with disabilities accessing the Internet is a challenging task which is made even harder by the fact most websites and web software have barriers to accessibility.

In fact such barriers can be deemed illegal and discriminatory under the Disability Discrimination Act. In 2000 a worldwide legal precedent was set when New South Wales man Bruce Maguire, who is blind, was successful in a complaint against the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympics Games (SOCOG).

Mr Maguire’s action against SOCOG was taken through the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission and claimed that the Olympics.com website was not accessible to visually impaired web users.

Since then awareness of accessibility issues has increased but for the most part it remains an area of uncertainty within many organisations and institutions.

The vocational education and training (VET) system has recognised that its rapid move towards e-learning will require greater consideration of accessibility when developing e-learning resources.

In an effort to help teachers and trainers understand and design resources which comply with accessibility standards an online accessibility guide has been developed.

Accessibility, getting it right the first time provides users with simple tutorials for developing accessible resources in the web based coding HTML and also in a range of commonly used software applications including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint along with Macromedia Flash.

Compiled by a team at the Institute of TAFE Tasmania, the Guide has been funded through LearnScope, a nationally funded professional development initiative which focuses on providing greater flexibility through e-learning and e-business.

Instrumental in the development of accessibility, getting it right the first time has been Helen Houston, a senior trainer in the Community Services and Health Department at the Institute of TAFE Tasmania.

She said the idea for the Guide came out of experiences and problems she faced when having to develop learning resources for students with disabilities.

“We found there was a need amongst teachers and trainers for a basic guide to the fundamentals of accessibility. We wanted them to be able to have a concise resource, which is easy to use, and explains the design of accessible resources,” Ms Houston said.

She hopes the Guide will help teachers and trainers to incorporate accessibility into the development and design of learning resources rather than have them adapt and rework existing resources which are not fully accessible.

“By encouraging accessibility by design, we are encouraging greater inclusiveness in the development of e-learning resources which in turn benefits not only people with disabilities but everyone who uses the resource,” she said.