Online Services
Web Standards: Accessibility Standards Working
Group
Terms of Reference
Document control
Version
Date
Author
Comment
0.1
27/09/12
Victoria Jolliffe
First draft
1.0
04/10/12
Victoria Jolliffe
Minor revisions based on feedback
from working group.
1.1
19/11/12
Victoria Jolliffe
Governance model diagram updated
and membership list removed.
The Open University
Online services
November 2012
1 Background to The Open University’s web standards
Web standards help The Open University manage its online brand and visual identity. By ensuring
our sites adhere to our suite of technical and design standards we give our visitors a more
consistent user experience, whilst at the same time reflecting our core values of openness and
availability to all. Further information is available on the OU Web Standards website
(www8.open.ac.uk/about/web-standards), which contains information about all the standards
and guidelines that must be followed when developing and delivering sites and services on The
Open University's public, student and internal websites.
The Accessibility Standards Working Group has been set up to create and maintain the OU’s
standards for ensuring that internal and public-facing websites are accessible to a wide audience, in
terms of the technologies used and the presentation of the sites’ content.
2 Governance
The following diagram shows the overall web standards governance structure.
The working groups shown above are only the current set of groups and it is anticipated that many
more will be created to define standards around technical requirements, for example. As a standard
is drafted it will be forwarded to the Standards Reference Group1 for consultation, before it is
approved by the Digital Engagement team and then given final sign-off by the Digital Standards
Sign-Off Group2.
3 Membership
Membership of this group may change over time; the current membership is maintained on the
Accessibility Working Group page on the Web Standards website:
http://www8.open.ac.uk/about/web-standards/governance/working-groups/accessibility-workinggroup
4 Responsibilities
The Accessibility Standards Working Group is responsible for four main workstreams:
1.
2.
1
Defining a common accessibility policy statement for the OU.
Creating and maintaining a detailed general accessibility standard for the OU, as well as
providing guidance for developers on putting the standard into practice.
This group consists of representatives from each of the faculties and units, to ensure their requirements are adequately
represented in the development of a standard.
2
This group’s membership comprises the CIO, the Director of Communications and the Director of LTS.
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The Open University
3.
4.
Online services
November 2012
Writing a pro-forma and associated procedures for accessibility statements for individual
assets.
Reviewing exemption requests from site owners from specific clauses in the Accessibility
Standard, and providing advice on alternative methods where relevant.
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