Digital Inclusion – Beyond Web Accessibility David Robinson May 2016 #engageAU digital inclusion – beyond website accessibility #engageAU David Robinson May 2016

from literacy to life

agenda Digital inclusion challenge Overcoming the barriers for the print disabled Social business model for assistive technology provision Browsealoud assistive technology for websites Browsealoud for public access computers Readability Tool for website authors

your website is the first stop to access your products & services

digital inclusion – more than accessibility

millions of citizens in need of help

the digital divide 7,000,000 don’t have basic online skills 6,774,000 population of Queensland, S Australia, & N Territories

the divide is widening

divide widening harder to find and get jobs pay higher prices for goods & services that are offline unequal access to public services that are increasingly moving online

divide widening increased social exclusion as relationships go online ageing population young people without home internet may struggle with educational attainment

digital inclusion matters to everyone

digital inclusion challenge dyslexia mild visual impairments non-native speakers low literacy ageing population barriers to inclusion no physical accesseconomically Disadvantagedprint disabled print disabled includes:

digital inclusion challenge overcoming barriers for print disabled There are many forms of assistive technology that can help Screen Readers for people who are blind or seriously visually impaired Screen Magnifiers and Text Enlargers to help people with milder visual impairment Text Readers for people who have dyslexia or difficulty reading

digital inclusion challenge assistive technology ownership Microsoft & Forrester research found: negative correlation with disability and earning power people who need assistive technology cannot afford it higher proportion of disabled people among lower socio-economic groups people who cannot afford assistive technology are likely to need it

social business model

free at the point of use

we’ll take care of the tough stuff

boosting digital skills engagement and achievement

introducing browsealoud

browsealoud toolbar Hover Highlighting Text to Speech Translator MP3 Maker Screen Mask / Electronic Ruler Text Magnification Simplifier User Settings Help

dual colour highlighting

Browsealoud toolbar translator written and spoken translation in 40 languages written translation in a further 59 languages option to switch on/off as desired by website owner MP3 maker website visitors can convert text to MP3 file website owners can create their own MP3 files

Browsealoud toolbar screen mask blocks distractions on the screen letterbox reading window electronic ruler text magnification magnifies text as it is read aloud text displayed along top of the screen large, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL text sizes

Browsealoud toolbar text simplifier removes clutter from the screen articles can be summarised customisable settings customise to suit individual needs options to change: voice, speed of voice, text size, contrast

browsealoud toolbar personalised settings

why browsealoud helps remove barriers to digital inclusion promotes social inclusion and personal empowerment provides support and information to vulnerable groups fully scalable works on all common platforms: pc’s, mac’s, tablets, smartphones reduces costs in personphonepostonline PWC$16.45$5.29$18.90$ % savin gs interaction cost:

more than 7,000 websites

browsealoud demo

browsealoud for public access computers

browsealoud for public access computers browsealoud google extension reads all websites easy to get free at the point of use

browsealoud extension demo

readability tool for website authors

readability tool for website authors why readability is important accessibility is not just about alt tags it’s about readability – easy to read, simple text readability makes websites more effective promotes engagement by eliminating jargon, long sentences and words that your target audience do not understand aids consistency with content from multiple web content editors

readability tool for website authors readability google extension author in plain English define the parameters: reading age, length of words, jargon words select your readability standard: Flesch Kincaid or Gunning Fog check & edit: from most frequently visited pages to your whole or staging site comprehensive reporting agile development: auto updates, new functionality based on customer feedback

readability demo

any questions?

David Robinson General Manager – Corporate +44 (0) texthelp.com/browsealoud