[Irl-dean] Influence Web Accessibility Monitoring/Certification in Europe!

[Barry McMullin]

  PROPOSED EUROPE-WIDE QUALITY MARK FOR WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY

           OPEN INVITATION FOR INPUT/PARTICIPATION

                       16 FEBRUARY 2005


 PLEASE CIRCULATE TO ANY RELEVANT CONTACTS, MAILING LISTS ETC.


Dublin City University is currently a partner in an EU-funded
project (Support-EAM) which is exploring the establishment of a
Europe-wide "quality mark" for web site accessibility.  This is
potentially a very significant development, affecting developers,
commissioners/procurers, managers, and, of course, users of
websites throughout Europe.  It is very important that this
activity be strongly influenced by the views of all these
stakeholders.  To that end, there are two immediate opportunities
to participate in this process:

- The project has just opened an online "Questionaire on
  Stakeholders needs for a European eAccessibility certification
  and services".  It is available at this URL:

  http://www.support-eam.org/supporteam/survey/survey_form.asp

  It is estimated that this should take only about 15 minutes to
  complete. Please consider completing this questionaire as a
  very lightweight way of contributing your views at this
  critical early stage.  The questionaire is open for only a
  restricted period time, so please respond as soon as possible.

- Separately, at the request of the European Commission, the
  project has entered into an agreement with the European
  Standards Body, CEN, to conduct a formal standardisation
  workshop in relation to the European certification of website
  accessibility. This will specifically look at the organisational
  and business arrangements necessary to underpin and sustain
  such a Europe wide scheme.  More information on the workshop is
  available at this URL:

  http://www.support-eam.org/supporteam/CEN_ISSS_Workshop.asp

  The Kickoff Meeting of the workshop is scheduled for Brussels
  on 14 April 2005.

  CEN Workshop Agreements (CWAs) are consensus-based
  specifications, drawn up in an open Workshop
  environment. Membership of CEN Workshops is open to all
  interested parties.  However, members have to be formally
  registered in order to participate to the consensus process
  (and CEN does charge a participation fee). More information on
  participation is available at this URL:

  http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/businessdomains/businessdomains/isss/pm/index.asp

  Participating in the CWA process would clearly be a much more
  significant commitment than completing the Stakeholders
  Questionaire above; nonetheless, I would invite all interested
  individuals and organisations in Ireland to read the relevant
  documentation carefully, and consider whether it may be
  appropriate to consider full participation.


Contact Information:

Barry McMullin
Director, eAccess Lab
Dublin City University
Dublin 9

Telephone: +353-1-700-5432
email: <barry.mcmullin at dcu.ie>
web: http://eaccess.rince.ie/