Navigate this site

New Accessible Site for Zendor

Press Release

By: Zendor
20 November 2003

Zendor, the Manchester-based e-business and fulfilment expert, announces the launch of its new ‘AAA’ compliant accessible website, www.zendor.com. The site has been designed and developed so that people with visual impairments can easily access content and navigate round the site.

Zendor’s new website is primarily aimed at retailers who are interested in moving into the distance shopping arena. In addition, the website will appeal to financial institutions, travel companies, and sports and gaming organisations, who are interested in learning more about Zendor and its extensive range of services, which include usability-led design, development and accessibility services.

Zendor’s ‘AAA’ compliant rating is the highest level of accessibility, as laid down in the World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3c.org), regarded as the authority on web accessibility. Visually impaired visitors can now adjust the font size on the site so that the text can be enlarged to suit users’ requirements. For users with screen readers (technology that allows audio communication of the website content) ‘ tags’ have been attached to every image and the navigation toolbar has been placed at the top of the page which allows instant navigation onto another page if desired. Page layout has been defined in style sheets rather the tables, which are much easier for screen readers to understand, and all images have been made readable for red and green colour-blind users.

Zendor believe it is morally right to develop websites that are accessible to those with visual impairments, and also understands the pressures for companies to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act’s (DDA) deadline of October 2004. This Act (1995) forces companies with an online presence to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their website so that they are accessible to disabled users.* By making its own website ‘AAA’ compliant, Zendor demonstrates both how strongly it feels about web accessibility for its own audience and practically how companies can comply with the DDA’s legislation.

David Hawdale, Head of Design and Usability of Zendor explains: “We were keen to develop a new site which could quickly and easily be navigated by all users including those with visual impairments. As well as making the new site easy to understand, use and navigate generally, we felt it was important to conform to the W3C’s highest level of accessibility. We are confident that Zendor’s new website is fully usable and accessible without compromising either design or quality.”

The new website was developed over a six month period and went live on 20th November 2003.

Notes

*October 2004 is the deadline that the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) has given companies to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their websites so that they are accessible to disabled people. As the deadline looms closer, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) is applying increased pressure to companies with an online presence, especially financial companies, many of whom are currently denying visual impaired customers the opportunity to bank and perform other transactions online. Under the DDA Act, companies who do not make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their websites are liable for prosecution.