People who find it difficult to use a computer keyboard and mouse, can turn to other devices to navigate the internet, but if the site has not been designed with accessibility in mind, using the web can prove to be a frustrating experience.

To some people, accessibility is the key to actually being able to use the internet.

For others, it might mean a quicker, simpler and easier web experience.

In 2004, the UK's Disability Rights Commission investigated 1,000 websites. It found that 800 of those sites failed to meet minimum accessibility standards and guidelines recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

It also discovered that if a site is accessible by a disabled user it is also a third quicker for an able-bodied person to complete tasks too.

A blind student in the USA, backed by the National Federation of the Blind in what could be a landmark trial, is taking Target, an Amerian DIY giant, to court on the grounds of discrimination, as their website is not sufficiently accessible and does not cater for the blind.

The British Standards Institution recently published new guidelines called Publicly Available Specification 78, which recommends ways of making all websites accessible. It is hoped it will become a legal requirement in the future.

Since early 2006, NetLink IT, based in Clifden, Ireland, have made it policy to develop standard-compliant websites according to current and up-to-date specifications.