If you’ve been wondering about the changes to our site, here is the reason:
New law in Israel as of October 2016 requires all websites to be set up in accordance in with the new Web Accessibility regulations. This means that sites must be able to be accessed by all people alike. A standard is being set requiring sites to be as available and accessible to those people with disabilities (for example, hearing and sight disabilities) as to those without. The laws are extremely complex and as a result, we have taken the approach to making our site as simple to access as possible.
You will notice the simplicity of all the buttons with each button having a description below it. This is in accordance with the new regulations requiring both a text caption, as well as text alternatives for all graphic images. Colours are kept to a minimum to avoid problems with contrast etc. for those who suffer from eye problems. Text has been left aligned because justified text is considered difficult to read by programs which read aloud for those hard of hearing. The site can now be navigated using the keyboard for those who do not have a mouse available, The site can now be accessed on all computer devices equally without a lose of quality on either one. This includes stand-alone computers, laptops, Tablets and smartphones.
You will notice that all our slideshows and videos have been removed. This is because all videos now require captions, and we lack the time, expertise and expense to hire others to redo our videos with captions. It also seems that new videos will also require sign language equivalents to allow those unable to hear to also benefit from the videos being shown. We just do not have the means to prepare our videos in all these formats. Displaying a video without the necessary requirements will take the site out of its web accessibility status – and hence if one cannot attend to all the changes, it is best to simply avoid uploading any videos on to the site.
Failure to comply with the new rules carries with it high penalties in Israel, and as a result, this site has been oversimplified to be able to fulfill the most basic requirements of the law.
Should anyone find anything in it lacking these rules, please contact us so that we can attend to the necessary problems.
For more information on Web Accessibility law, with full references to all changes necessary, see How to Meet WCAG2.0.