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A Holiday Wish: Equal Access
As the holidays approach, many people take time to consider the less fortunate among us. And you will probably hear someone remark on how nice it would be if we did that all year round. This sentiment is echoed by a new report on website accessibility. If only we could all have equal access all the time. Needless to say, 3W Studios has an answer to that problem; we practice good accessibility as a matter of course. So regardless of whether you need to meet certain standards for legal, business or ethical reasons, we're here to help.
Jeremy Spinks, Studio Director
'Most websites' failing disabled
A new report commission by the United Nations has found that 97% of websites fail to provide minimum levels of accessibility. The report tested leading sites in 20 nations, across five different sectors.
Among the key shortcomings were failing to provide adequate text descriptions for graphics (93%), relying on javascript (73%), failing to follow industry web standards for programming (98%) and failing to allow people to resize pages (97%). The only websites to meet the minimum requirements were those of the German Chancellor, Spanish Government and British Prime Minister.
Despite the poor results, the report does remain positive. Most sites are "within grasping distance" of accessibility. The key issue remains one of understanding; impressing upon site owners and developers that a few simple steps can improve the situation.
The World Health Organisation estimates that there are around 600 million disabled people worldwide, which represents about 10% of the world's population. Of these, around 80% are believed to live in developing countries, which translates into a significant audience for website owners.
More on the report from Nomensa.
Launch News
3W Helps Take Vision to Germany
The Redlake Alliance, powered by IDT, has launched a new website that takes customer service to a higher level. An elite working group made of engineers from the very best of German car manufacturing will have exclusive access to the new site. The online resource center will act as a central meeting point for the global partnership. Redlake can deliver product news and updates, while remaining engaged in an ongoing conversation of what their clients need. This sector-targeted method may roll out in other service areas next year.
Visit this site: www.auto-ak.com
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FADA Launches New Model Year Site
The Florida Automobile Dealers Association has launched a redesign of their member-focused web presence. The new site evolved over the summer from a minor re-organization to a completely new look and feel. The site employs content management software to put the association in complete control, as well as several database functions to serve different portions of information.
Visit this site: www.flada.org
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Forestry Site Goes Bi-Lingual
The Your Forest Managed campaign completed its online launch recently by adding a spanish-language version of the site. As part of the mission to reach under-served audiences, the spanish-language site is a complete translation, providing additional access to the rich list of resources.
Visit this site: www.yourforestmanaged.com/espanol
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Online Reservation Propel Sales
Research from the National Association of Realtors estimated that 77 percent of home buyers used the internet to search for a home in 2005, compared to only 2 percent just one decade ago. Real estate developer, Phillips Development & Realty (PDR) in partnership with Wood Partners of Atlanta, is capitalizing on this growing internet trend by taking online reservations for units at Mosaic on Hermann Park. The reservation system uses secure real-time credit card processing to ensure consumer protection, and is accepting reservations 24 hours a day.
Visit this site: www.mosaichouston.com
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