December 3rd marks International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD), a day to celebrate the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for people with disabilities. The theme for this year’s IDPWD is “Fighting for rights in the post-COVID era”. Because, since March 2020, every person has been impacted by COVID-19 in one way or another, but for those who face accessibility barriers, it has been a particularly challenging time.
According to the WHO World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with disability. Of this number, it’s estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition. This year, on International Day of People with Disabilities, we are recognising that those with disabilities are among the most affected populations, where discrimination and vulnerability can be everyday factors for some.
To support everyone online, we have installed the Recite Me assistive toolbar on our website, creating an inclusive, easy-to-use online experience for all staff, customers, and website users.
When visiting our website people can use the assistive toolbar to read and understand online information. You can use the toolbar to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
In addition, the translation feature offers on-demand translation to over 100 languages.
In a previous blog we talked about our wider work to meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 and improve inclusion, and in the near future we will be updating on the progress of this work. Together we can build an inclusive online world. We can all make a positive difference to making the world more accessible, for everyone.
Read the next post about DigiKnow.