New guidelines will be published today providing information and resources to create more accessible web sites. The e-Inclusion Charter was developed by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and others on behalf of the Alliance for Digital Inclusion, a pan-industry business group.

The charter explains why and how to provide accessible online products and services, according to the RNID’s Guido Gybels.

The RNID said that such cross-sector initiatives and discussions are likely to be more effective than legislation to ensure universal accessibility. “[The charter will] drive positive collaboration between all sectors,” Gybels added.

Léonie Watson of web site design company Nomensa welcomed any initiative to encourage more accessible sites, but warned that more effort is needed to engage organisations. “The issue needs to be treated with more commerciality,” she said. “We must move past a point where [accessibility] is treated as an expensive add-on.”