Newcastle Building Society has collaborated with assistive technology company, Recite Me, to add accessibility and language tools to its website www.newcastle.co.uk, supporting customers to access content more easily, as well as helping those with visual impairments, disabilities and whose first language is not English.
In England, 9.8 million people live with a disability, and can often face barriers that prevent them from taking an active part in life.
Newcastle Building Society has already made Diversity, Equity and Inclusion one of its five strategic priorities, and the roll-out of Recite Me’s accessibility support technology on the Society’s website comes as part of this commitment, as well as reflecting its wider purpose to connect its communities with a better financial future.
Jennie Pitt, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Newcastle Building Society commented,
“We’re committed to making it easy for all of our customers to interact with us in the way they choose. That’s why, as well as continuing to invest in and grow our branch network to ensure our communities maintain access to face-to-face financial services, we’re making it simpler for members to manage their personal finances online, by making our website accessible to everyone.”
The introduction of the accessibility support tool is also in support of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) newly introduced guidelines to create a higher standard of consumer protection. The Recite Me tools, available on the Newcastle Building Society website, allow users to access the screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customisable styling options and an on-demand live translation feature capable of interpreting over 100 languages, including text-to-speech.
Jennie added,“Recite Me’s accessibility software checker and toolbar provides the ideal platform for us to uphold our commitment to delivering a website that everybody can easily use, and enables us to offer a customisable experience for our website visitors and members in a way that meets their individual needs.
“Ensuring that as many people as possible are able to access our website and obtain the information they need, or carry out the tasks they require, is important for our Society in enabling us to deliver high levels of customer service and an inclusive experience for our members.”
Newcastle Building Society is committed to inclusivity both as a workplace, for its members, and in its approach to its communities. Currently, the Society has a variety of partnerships, including long-term relationships with other Recite Me clients Newcastle United Foundation and the Prince’s Trust.
If you would like to try out the assistive tools on Newcastle Building Society’s website please go to www.newcastle.co.uk. For more information on Recite Me assistive technology please contact a member of our team or book a real-time demonstration.
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