We were pleased to welcome a wide range of charities, organisations and businesses to our launch at the Institute of Physics.
Vicki McNicholl, a Director of the BDA, opened the proceedings by outlining the difficulties that many dyslexics face in their daily lives. She gave a taste of the extra work that she faces when having to make a presentation, and how empowering it can be for dyslexics to be given the right tools, so they can achieve their full potential.
Chris Lenton, FCIM, FCCA, FCIS, FRSA, Director of Finances and Operations at ICSA put forward the business case for accessible and inclusive communication.
He estimated that there are 7 million consumers in the UK with some form of communication difficulty, and that this market is worth £200 billion a year. He advised that businesses needed to address their communication in order to increase their market share. Accessible and inclusive websites would be a significant tool, as consumers buy more and more goods and services online.
Kevin Thomson, FCIM, ABC, founder of 2080partners and author, presented the personal and business benefits of great communication. For companies, it increases return on investment, reach, reputation, revenue, and reputation. For individuals, in addition to the 20% with needs, everyone has preferences. Being able to adjust a web page, to hear it, to save it to MP3 as a sound file and to listen later suits our time starved needs. There will come a time when every website talks!
Sally Hayward, barrister, 2080partners and Chair of the Well Adjusted Committee gave an overview of the Guide, and thanked Lightning Source for sponsoring the printed edition, which was distributed. She explained that this was printed in two fonts, designed for dyslexics, and on off-white paper to avoid glare. Printing small runs of books was now possible, so it is not prohibitively expensive to provide alternative formats of printed materials. Sally also demonstrated some of the accessibility features of the Well Adjusted website, to show how the guidance can be put into practice.
