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Home > Web Services > Resources > You are here eNation reports

State of the eNation Reports

Since 2003 AbilityNet has published a widely acclaimed quarterly 'State of the eNation' report, each one focussing on a different online sector. We test representative websites for practical accessibility and usability. Below is an excerpt from the press release that accompanied our latest State of the eNation report, and a list of links to all previous reports.

Latest Report press release

Social networking sites lock out disabled users

Social networking sites may be revolutionising internet communication, and creating new and exciting opportunities in both leisure and business, but is this Brave New World as democratic and inclusive as it appears?

Pioneering research by national computing and disability charity, AbilityNet, of five of the most popular sites, shows that, in contrast to their apparent universal appeal, they are effectively ‘locking out’ disabled visitors, the majority of whom can’t even register, let alone participate in the on-line communities they wish to join. This gross oversight is not only unethical, it is also clearly in contravention of the Disability Discrimination Act (1999).

As well as extensive review by AbilityNet consultants, feedback was also compiled by survey responses from AbilityNet’s team of 100 disabled end user testers. With a diversity of disabling conditions including vision or hearing impairment, motor, literacy and cognitive difficulties, they access their computers using a wide variety of adaptive hardware and software. These range from ‘tweaking’ the browser (making changes such as enlarging text or altering colour schemes), to using screen reading or voice recognition technology.

Latest eNation report continued..

Archive of past eNation reports

Previous eNation report press releases to view in your browser, and the actual reports to download in PDF or MS Word format

Publish date	Press release	Report in MS Word format	Report in PDF format
18 January 2008	Social networking sites lock out disabled users
14 September 2007	Websites for top visitor attractions limit disabled to one destination
15 May 2007	New Wembley Stadium shoots wide on website accessibility
09 February 2007	On-line love is hard to find for disabled people this Valentine’s
04 January 2007	Disabled people left out in the cold this winter
23 July 2006	Choice of one for disabled on-line supermarket shoppers
31 May 2006	Disabled football fans on losing side, whatever England's fate
08 May 2006	Charities score low on website accessibility
16 January 2006	Disabled people favour accessible sites
05 August 2005	Telecoms websites breaks through the accessibility barrier
12 April 2005	Labour scrapes victory over tories in website accessibility stakes
22 December 2004	Gift buying on-line lacks seasonal cheer for disabled shoppers
11 October 2004	Own goal for premiership website accessibility
02 June 2004	Leading supermarkets failing to address online shopping needs of disabled customers
02 February 2004	On-line banks score one out of ten for accessible websites
03 November 2003	On-line newspapers failing disabled people
18 July 2003	Top airlines losing millions by barring disabled people from websites

For more information:

• Email accessibility@AbilityNet.org.uk
• Phone 0800 269545

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