Create Inclusive Experiences Online With Accessibility Software

Leading UK property company, British Land is taking a responsible approach to reducing digital barriers by utilising online assistive technology. By thinking differently, British Land has unlocked the power of physical and digital innovations to change lives for those with disabilities, learning difficulties, visual impairments, and those who speak English as a second language. Taking their commitment to diversity and inclusion further, British Land has created a customer advocacy group, ‘Access for All’ that encourages their customers to share their knowledge and ideas to help improve customer experience, with topics such as retail accessibility, what makes an accessible workplace, and digital accessibility. Last Wednesday, Recite Me had the pleasure of joining British Land at their quarterly ‘Access for All’ event, along with two other panellists, Darren Rowan, Global Program Manager and Accessibility Lead for Eli Lilly and Patricia McLoughlin, Director of Change Management at GSK. Ross Linnett joined the group to discuss digital accessibility and the effect assistive technology has on the e-commerce and recruitment industry. Statistics show that the online spending power of those with a disability and their families in the UK is £24.8 Billion. However, fewer than 10% of businesses have a targeted plan to access this disability market. British Land’s leadership in this space was recently recognised by the Business Disability Forum who awarded them a Disability Smart business accreditation. The accessibility tools on the British Land website enable users to customise their digital experience in a way that best suits them. Features include screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customisable styling options, and 35 text-to-speech and styling options. Ginny Warr, Head of Procurement at British Land commented, “We started looking around for accessibility tools and the options that were available to meet British Land’s requirements. The Recite Me tool offered a cost effective, fast to implement solution. The key attraction of this solution was that we did not need to make significant investment in our existing web site and intranet platforms to implement this accessibility tool kit. Ginny concluded by saying ‘This is not about disability; this is about taking a responsible approach to making sure that all of our digital content is available to all our customers and employees. We believe that everyone should have equal access to these online resources – barrier free.” To access your selection of assistive tools on the British Land website select ‘Accessibility Tools’. For more information on how you can provide an inclusive online experience book a demo with a member of our friendly team.

In November Storm Arwen created stress and panic as many people lost power and heat to their homes. In the days following people frantically tried their best to contact suppliers to resolve issues. For vulnerable customers, this event was even more difficult and extra support became paramount. On the 25th and 26th of November 2021, the UK Met Office issued what they described as a "rare red weather warning" as Storm Arwen ascended onto the UK. This forecast was of extreme winds, affecting thousands of homes and businesses. As people woke up on the morning of the 27th to catastrophic damage to their homes and lives, they rushed to their computers and phones to seek support from gas and electricity distributors. The distributors who provide Recite Me assistive technology across their websites collectively saw a 152% spike in usage over the same time period last year. The Recite me assistive toolbar provides people who have disabilities, learning difficulties, visual impairments, and people who may speak English as a second language, with an inclusive experience online, to view and engage with content in ways that work best for their individual needs. Across Northern Gas Networks, SGN, Cadent Gas, Wales and West Utilities, Northern Powergrid, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, and Electricity North West Limited (ENWL), toolbar usage data shows nearly 5,000 people needed the aid of assistive technology viewing over 20,000 website pages. This shows the amazing support value of providing customers with the extra tools they need to access vital information hassle-free. Jo Giles Customer Safeguarding Senior Manager at Cadent commented, “Accessibility is key on any day - but when it comes to those events that mean that up-to-date information allows people to make choices to keep themselves, their families and those that they care for, it is vital. Thanks to the ease of use, Recite Me not only provides a wealth of options to support accessibility it also has the function to remember users, meaning that it continues with previously selected preferences for future updates.” As storms continued across the UK with Storm Barra Recite Me toolbar usage spiked for a second time showing the need to help people online. Recite Me is proud to work alongside many utility organisations as the industry continues to support customers in vulnerable circumstances online and offline with inclusive strategies.