Recently, the Disability Rights Commission research on web accessibility found that awareness of the issue is high, but good practice is terribly low. Perhaps this indicates that commissioners want their sites to be accessible, but don't know how to go about it.

To meet this need for guidance, the Disability Rights Commission has commissioned the British Standards Institution to produce a PAS (publicly available specification) on the subject as described above.

The purpose of the PAS 78 is to meet the needs of website commissioners. PAS 78 is not 'rules', is not 'new web design guidelines' and is not 'the law'.

PAS 78 is to help site commissioners (those that procure web design services via a website tender submission process, for instance) to ensure that they are able to commission accessible sites. It is intended to be a document that commissioners can understand and can discuss with web design project managers. For example, heavy reference is made to WAI guidelines, usability testing, automated checking tools, etc.

PAS 78 was published in March 2006. The process is dictated by BSI. Standards documents follow a strict schedule and PAS 78 is no different. PAS 78 is NOT a consensus document (i.e. not all steering group members must agree on the content).

PAS 78 will last not more than 2 YEARS before review. The audience of PAS 78 will be website COMMISSIONERS. It is not a document for web designers (important).

PAS 78 is a 'work in progress'. It could mature into a British Standard.

PAS 78 a DRC-commissioned document, written by a Steering Panel, reviewed by a Review Panel and valid for not more than 2 years after publication, though it does have the potential to be further developed into a British Standard. BSI holds the copyright of the document.