sponsored by DSPG
Presented to the Local Authority, Central Government department, community group or voluntary sector organisation that has made outstanding progress in using technologies to extend the delivery of information and services to include traditionally hard-to-reach groups such as users who are disabled or who have particular access needs.

2011 Winner: Wycombe District Council
The Wycombe District Council website was designed to maximise the opportunity for members of the public to “self-serve” their differing needs through an accessible channel. Wycombe and site developers VLI have been working with the Digital Accessibility Centre to ensure the website works for everyone. The Digital Accessibility Centre accreditation means that the site has been tested by people with a wide range of disabilities and found to be accessible.

Commended: North Devon Council
North Devon Council is committed to making its website as accessible as possible to everyone, including those who use assistive technologies to browse the web. As well as being constructed with standards compliant code, the site includes a number of features to improve accessibility, including a button on each page which allows users to access the Dixerit screen reader. A magnifying tool which can increase the screen display is also included, along with buttons to increase text size.

Commended: London Borough of Hounslow
The web team at Hounslow are continuously working to improve the accessibility and usability its site. The accessible design avoids using excessive graphics in an effort to maximise quick download times and access to information which cannot be read if in image format. A page contrast option switches the text to yellow and the background to black. Hounslow uses an external monitoring, reporting and alerting service to ensure its website is available and performing satisfactorily.

Commended: London Borough of Hillingdon
Hillingdon Council places great emphasis on accessibility, and is committed to providing information and services to as wide an audience as possible. The council’s website is constructed with standardised content management templates which are set to enforce web accessibility, and a robust publishing process ensures these standards are met.  A recent independent survey of local authority websites included a web accessibility review by the RNIB in which Hillingdon was rated as ‘excellent’.

Commended: Northampton Borough Council
Northampton Borough Council consulted with a group of homeless young people to develop Northampton Young Voices – an interactive website that seeks the views of young people and encourages engagement with the council. The site encourages young people to engage with the Housing Solutions team either via direct blogging or responding to questions posed by senior members of the housing management team. Social networking sites are utilised within the website, which features a short film about how 16 and 17 year olds can access housing and support, if faced with homelessness.