DSWD makes website friendly to disabled

MANILA, Philippines—The website of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is easy to use, especially for people with disabilities.

According to the DSWD, the website [dswd.gov.ph] has an Accessibility Statement page that teaches users how to enlarge the texts that could be found on the site to make them easier to read and how to use keyboard shortcuts to get to important pages immediately, among other features.

The DSWD said it had met most of the Web accessibility recommendations of the Philippine Web Accessibility Group (PWAG), which had noted the department was qualified to receive the “Disabled Friendly Website” award from the National Council on Disability Affairs and the National Computer Center.

Among the DSWD website features that meet the PWAG’s specifications are—aside from the Accessibility Statement page—alternative text for every image, “skip to content” links, the use of descriptive links, a site map, a Home link on every page, text resizing and the use of standard access keys.

The site’s webpages also have a consistent design and column positions.

The PWAG has encouraged other government agencies to make their websites accessible to the public, including persons with disabilities.