Enabled London: Word-Bank

Many people face barriers when it comes to accessing information on the Internet. WordBank identifies and defines difficult words in pop-up windows, and explains through the use of:

• easy-read text descriptions
• real-voice audio recordings
• animations

To see WordBank in action, click on any word in this website that has a dashed line underneath it.

Fulfilling legal obligations

11% of Europe’s population have disabilities significant enough to affect their access to web services (1) – and therefore inhibiting the vital connection of communication with others.

Current research into web access for people with learning disabilities says that using simpler English and pictures improves accessibility (2), and The Disability Discrimination Act, PAS 78 and the DED impose obligations upon companies to become more accessible in the physical and virtual world.

WordBank provides a one-stop solution to not only meeting, but exceeding, your legal obligations.

Increasing audiences

Every business or organisation that puts information on the internet does so in an attempt to increase exposure of whatever services or products are on offer. By utilising WordBank on your website, you are ensuring that a higher number of visitors are able to meaningfully comprehend the information you are trying to share.

We have developed WordBank through consultation with people with learning disabilities and we have worked with feedback from organisations such as GLC, DRC, BILD, RNIB to shape a product that really works.

But WordBank is not only useful for people with learning disabilities or visual/hearing impairments. It is also helpful for people who:

• have high communication needs
• have low literacy skills
• don’t have English as a first language
• are new to the language of a particular subject, industry or sector (jargon).  
  

Easy application

WordBank is easy to use. Once a small piece of code has been entered into your website’s source, WordBank will automatically find difficult words across your site and provide links for them to the definition pop-ups. Everything about your website will look the same – just the WordBank-ed words will appear with a dashed line underneath.

Also, WordBank definitions can be tailored to fit in with the look and feel of your website.

The basic package includes:

• A snap-shot consultation of your website's accessibility
• Support to set-up WordBank on your website
• A consultation to identify 10 unique words from your website to add to WordBank
• Access to WordBank's continually growing database of definitions
• Free regular definition updates

Please contact us for more information on getting WordBanked!

1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – World Wide Web Consortium, 1999
2. Computer based information (Information for all guidance) - Information for All team, 2004