"The only difficulty with this site was dragging myself away from it long enough to answer the questions."

The internet is becoming a key resource for:

• news, information, commerce, entertainment
• classroom education, distance learning
• job searching, workplace interaction
• civic participation, public services.

It is complementing or even displacing traditional sources of information and interaction such as:

• schools
• libraries
• print materials
• the discourse of the workplace.

A truly accessible internet would mean unprecedented access to information for people who do not have physical access to resources – perhaps because of a disability, technology or even a geographic location – for such people, the Internet as a gateway to the world is even more important than for the rest of the population.

"If anybody asks me what the Internet means to me, I will tell him without hesitation: To me (a quadriplegic) the Internet occupies the most important part in my life. It is my feet that can take me to any part of the world; it is my hands which help me to accomplish my work; it is my best friend — it gives my life meaning."

Dr. ZhangXu , practising orthopaedic surgeon (via the Internet), Anshan, China

The E-government web guidelines, which mandate compliance with the international WCAG guidelines, show the importance that government places on providing free and full access to the information and services they provide through the internet.

This survey shows that many agencies are making strenuous efforts to meet the requirements and to go beyond them to create truly user-centred websites. However, it also shows that much work remains to be done, not least in helping those who commission, fund, build and maintain sites to understand what the barriers are, who they affect, and how they may be removed.

We hope this report will contribute to that understanding.