People think the world-wide web is available to everybody. But around the world there are millions of people with disabilities who cannot use the Internet without a lot of help.

That is where Bradford firm Pennine Data comes in. The company prides itself on producing websites which are accessible to everyone.

The company is currently working with the Royal National Institute for the Blind on creating websites which will help blind and visually-impaired people.

The RNIB is pressing for a more accessible Internet and Pennine Data is helping them by developing websites which follow guidelines from The Web Accessibility Initiative.

This means creating websites which are organised in a readable format and which do not contain graphics which are illegible -- even to sighted people.

The company, founded in 1992 when Nick Hill graduated from Bradford University, is based on Thornton Lane, Little Horton.

In 1996 the firm was moving into providing a wider range of business solutions and a partnership was formed between Nick, 39 and Rory Argyle, 26, which brought together their skills.

The firm is involved in systems analysis and design, software development, website design and maintenance, software and computer sales and training.

The work they are doing will not only help the RNIB but local authorities and firms using electronic commerce.

The danger is that if more is not done to help people with disabilities use the Net they will slip further behind.

Julie Howell, the RNIB's Access to Digital Information Campaigns Officer, said: "By making an Internet service inaccessible you potentially lose 8.5 million disabled customers. Disabled people have a right to access the same information as everyone else."

On Friday, the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force and service-providers will have to make 'reasonable adjustments' to their goods so that they become accessible to people with disabilities.

Nick Hill said: "We view accessibility as not just making information and products available to people with disabilities, but also to those with hand-held Pcs and mobile phones like the Nokia Communicator.

"We are finding more and more web design companies concentrating on producing high graphical pages without thought to those users who cannot view the graphical content.

"We have a national reputation for developing web sites which can deliver a firm's web site with style - yet remain accessible to all users," he added.

Pennine Data can be contacted on (01274) 788450.

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