Information Providers

Charities, Companies and Information Providers

The growth of the internet over the last ten years has been immense, and disabled users make up a significant part of this new marketplace. In 2006, the Disabled Rights Commission found that:

"…there are almost 10 million disabled people in the UK with a combined spending power in the region of 80 billion pounds per annum. Furthermore there are millions of other individuals that are affected by sensory, physical and/or cognitive impairments, including those resulting from the ageing process.

Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites

The DRC also confirmed that people without disabilities are able to use websites that are optimised for accessibility more effectively and more successfully, so it makes great economic sense to make your website accessible.

Symbols have been used in almost all special schools for approximately 20 years and are very well established. They are used to support children with communication and learning difficulties. In turn, this improves their confidence and literacy skills. Anyone who has attended these schools will be already be familiar with symbols and many adult centres and service providers also use symbols as an essential aid to information. The Widgit Literacy Symbols are used extensively throughout Europe, North America and Australasia.

"We’ve previously been able to help people with physical or sensory impairments to use a computer and Widgit’s Point software now meets the requirement for making websites more accessible to people with cognitive difficulties. The Widgit Symbols are ideal for people who find text difficult to use or access as they provide visual prompts which illustrate the meaning of individual words"

Joe Chidzik

www.abilitynet.org.uk/easy