Enhances web accessibility by providing easy navigation and a customized display for individuals with disabilities
SANTA ANA, Calif. – July 30, 2019– Furthering its commitment to serving individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, Goodwill of Orange County announced today the launch of a new, fully accessible website. The redesigned site, developed in partnership with MAB Accessibility, provides equal access and opportunity to people of all abilities and disabilities.
The digital accessibility features allow every user to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the website and derive the same information, no matter the disability or challenge behind the screen.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nearly 1 in 5 people nationwide have a disability. Here in Orange County, more than270,000 individuals have a disability. Broken down further, approximately 81,000 experience a hearing difficulty, 51,000 have difficulty seeing, and nearly 100,000 are living with a cognitive disability.
In today’s online landscape, many websites are developed with several accessibility barriers that make it difficult or impossible for people with varying disabilities to use them. Common errors of accessibility include images without alternative text descriptions, videos without appropriate captions, color contrast issues and forms that have unclear buttons or error messages. Paramount to Goodwill’s site redesign was to create an online resource that could be easily and efficiently accessed by all.
“In an age when so much is done on a computer and online, redesigning our website to be inclusive and intuitive for all, no matter the disability or challenge, was a high-priority,” said Eric Smissen, Senior Manager of Media and Branding, Goodwill of Orange County. “At the core of our mission and everything we do at Goodwill of Orange County is to better serve individuals with disabilities and provide them with a pathway to independence – this is the latest example of how we are elevating the standard of that commitment and care.”
MAB Accessibility custom-built an Accessibility Toolbar for Goodwill of Orange County that allows users to personalize their experience based on their specific needs and challenges. The toolbar functions include font resizing, adjustment for color blindness, high contrast adjustment, zoom, cursor modifications, keyboard navigation to easily turn on audio descriptions and closed captioning, and a text reader.
“Our goal as a digital technology company is to make web accessibility a standard,” said Omar Karim, Founder of MAB Accessibility. “Access to public platforms is a privilege and a right and in the end, it benefits people of all abilities. We support the creation of a more inclusive web across the board.”
The accessibility features and usability of the site were evaluated in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to be ADA compliant with the American Disability Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
About Goodwill of Orange County
Goodwill helps people who are facing barriers to find and keep jobs, which provides purpose, pride, and dignity. Founded on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to achieve the independence that work provides, Goodwill is most recognized for being the conduit where donated goods are sold in America’s favorite thrift stores to generate the revenue that provides the services to those who face employment challenges. Goodwill of Orange County, now in its 95thyear, has supported hundreds of thousands of Orange County residents since its inception by creating and providing quality training and employment services to empower its program participants to be productive and independent. The nonprofit organization has dozens of programs that support this effort, including the Goodwill Rogers A. Severson Fitness & Technology Center,Orange County’s only facility specially designed for people suffering from chronic illnesses and physical disabilities; its global approach to serving veterans and their families, Goodwill of Orange County Tierney Center for Veteran Services, which helps former service members and their families find resources and services to meet and serve their unique needs, including housing, job placement, education, and wellness; and its Assistive Technology Exchange Center (ATEC), which provides access to more than 1,000 state-of-the-art technology devices for children and adults with disabilities. These are just a few of Goodwill of Orange County’s innovative programs that have served those facing barriers in Orange County for the past nine decades. To learn more about Goodwill of Orange County, visit ocgoodwill.org.
About MAB Accessibility
MAB Accessibility is a digital technology company that assists businesses who are looking to make their web content accessible by all. Using proprietary tools and assessment techniques, MAB Accessibility is able to identify and resolve issues of accessibility in order to increase usability and enhance overall user experience. As leaders in UI/UX strategy with 16 years of experience, MAB Accessibility is disrupting the liability landscape by providing digital solutions to address the growing demand for digital compliance across all industries. The company is based in Santa Ana, California. For more information about MAB Accessibility please visit mabaccessibility.com.
