To create a fully inclusive online environment Preston City Council now provides Recite Me accessibility software to enable all visitors to access council information barrier-free.
14.1 million people in the UK live with some form of disability and there are 11.8 Million residents aged 65 years and over, all of which can experience challenges online. As a council, it is vital that their content is easily accessible to all, regardless of their needs.
To achieve the council’s goal of supporting the diverse population of Preston with multimedia communications, over the past 12 months they have provided the Recite Me accessibility software which has enable people with disabilities, learning difficulties, visual impairments, and people who speak English as a second language to experience our website in a way to suit their individual needs.
On average every month, they help over 340 unique people with accessibility and language support needs. Over the last year, there has been a total of 4,000 Launches of the toolbar to remove barriers and create a better online experience. When people use Recite Me assistive technology to support their journey, they view on average 5.1 pages, gathering all the information they need.
The Recite Me accessibility toolbar provides a unique range features including, text-to-speech functionality, reading aids and styling options, where people can change the colour scheme as well as the texts font style, size, colour, and spacing. For people who speak English as a second language, the toolbar also includes on-demand translation into over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices.
“We really want to meet the needs of the people who live and work in Preston, and we believe the tools Recite me offer helps us achieve this. Recite Me helps us by making our website and content accessible for all and with Preston such a diverse community it allows the website to be viewed in over 100 languages, making it easier than ever to engage with the Council.”
Ian Heslop, Digital and Web Manager, Preston Councils
