What agencies are required to do when publishing reports online
Publishing reports online
Question: What are agencies required to do when publishing reports online?
Is there some text I can quote about what agencies are currently required to do when putting reports, etc, up online? I have been advised that agencies are mandated to ensure material is accessible but is this is a good practice requirement at this stage?
Answer
Who is mandated to comply with the web standards?
The NZ Government Web Standards are mandatory for all Public Service departments and Non-Public Service Departments in the State Services.
The implementation schedule for the Web Accessibility Standard, which was issued in July 2013, requires that every web page created, redesigned, or redeveloped since 01 July 2014 conform.
What standard do you have to meet?
The Standards specify requirements regarding content on websites, and do not distinguish between reports or other types of content. The Web Accessibility Standard does, however, include requirements that effectively restrict what formats can be used to publish content on websites. In particular, WCAG 2.0 conformance requirement requires that only technologies or formats with sufficient accessibility support be relied on to deliver a conformant and accessible experience for users.
What formats meet those requirements?
Currently, because of limited accessibility support for PDF, MS Word, and Flash in certain operating systems and devices, content published in those formats needs also to be provided in an alternative and accessible format. For most content that has some degree of structure (e.g headings, lists, tables, images) that alternative and accessible format remains HTML.
Coming at it from the other direction, properly constructed HTML remains the most broadly accessible and interoperable format for publishing content on the web. It is recommended that HTML be considered the default format for delivery of all web content. Note that this does not preclude the supplemental use of other formats.
Last updated