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A total of 110 enterprises and organisations were lauded at an awards presentation ceremony under the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme today (April 14) for adopting effective designs in websites and mobile apps to facilitate access by everyone, including persons with disabilities.
The recognition scheme is co-organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). This year, 136 websites and 31 mobile apps were recognised, of which 117 websites and 23 mobile apps attained gold awards, and 19 websites and eight mobile apps received silver awards. These organisations can now display the web accessibility logo in their websites and mobile apps to showcase their achievements in making web content accessible to everyone. With a view to further fostering public awareness of web accessibility, online voting for "Most Favourite Websites" was introduced this year to identify accessible websites which are well-received.
The Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology), Miss Susie Ho, applauded the awarded enterprises and organisations for their conscientious efforts in making their web content accessible to all.
"The recognition scheme received an even better response this year. We have seen a sharp rise in both the number of participating and commended organisations, with a total of 136 websites awarded, i.e. an increase of more than 90 per cent over last year. This reflects the increasing commitment on driving web accessibility by different enterprises," Miss Ho said.
"Making websites and mobile apps accessible to all is a win-win solution, not only for building an inclusive society, but also for facilitating business development."
The commended organisations come from different business sectors. This shows that web accessibility design is increasingly being adopted in the community to enable everyone to access the latest online information and services, and enjoy the benefits of smart living.
Other guests at the ceremony included the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Daniel Lai; the Chairperson of the EOC, Dr York Chow; and members of the advisory committee of the recognition scheme.
The Government launched the Web Accessibility Campaign in October 2011 to promote wider adoption of web accessibility designs among enterprises and organisations through a multi-pronged strategy. The recognition scheme launched last year is a key element of the campaign. The Government provides free assessment and advisory services to all the entrants of the scheme to help them implement web accessibility design to enhance the accessibility of their websites or mobile apps.
The awards presentation ceremony is one of the activities of International IT Fest 2014. The International IT Fest, featuring a series of events over a fortnight to showcase Hong Kong's information and communications technology (ICT) development and achievements, aims at reinforcing Hong Kong's position as an ICT hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
For details about the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme and the list of awarded organisations, please visit the website: www.webforall.gov.hk/en/scheme.
Ends/Monday, April 14, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:46
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