Proud Ground, dedicated to creating affordable homeownership opportunities, has expanded its reach by adding the Recite Me Assistive Toolbar to its website. This step reflects the organization’s commitment to reaching more people and making housing information accessible to all.
Expanding Homeownership Access Online
Since 1999, Proud Ground’s mission has been rooted in creating pathways to affordable homeownership, and digital inclusion plays a critical role in achieving that vision. By adding accessibility tools on its website, the organization ensures that everyone, regardless of ability or language, can easily learn about its mission and access essential resources.
Tavares Kornegay, Program Assistant at Proud Ground, shared with us that “the goal has always been to expand our demographic reach with our mission of affordable homeownership.“
This goes beyond simply providing information; it makes it easier for prospective homeowners to understand the application process, explore financing options, and learn about programs that support affordable homeownership.
Empowering Visitors with the Recite Me Toolbar
With a commitment to inclusion, Proud Ground began working with Recite Me in early 2025 to integrate assistive tools across its website.
The toolbar offers a wide range of features to support visitors with diverse needs, including:
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Translation into over 100 languages
- Customizable font, size, and color settings
- Screen masking and reading aids
These features have allowed Proud Ground to remain focused on what matters most, empowering more people to achieve homeownership. With Recite Me, the organization can be confident that updates and new information are accessible to visitors with visual impairments, learning difficulties, cognitive challenges, or those who speak English as a second language.
A Noticeable Impact in Housing Applications
Since implementing the Recite Me toolbar, Proud Ground has seen a tangible shift in how the community engages with its resources. With clearer access to information online, staff are receiving fewer inquiries from individuals trying to navigate the organization’s services.
Meanwhile, the ease of finding key details has encouraged more people to apply, resulting in a notable increase in housing applications.
“I have seen a significant decrease in calls for individuals looking to understand our organization as well as our mission. Our applications have increased double because of the accessibility to information we have now with Recite Me that we never had before.”
Tavares Kornegay, Program Assistant, Proud Ground
Breaking Language Barriers for a Diverse Community
Language accessibility was also a key factor in implementing Recite Me. Even with bilingual staff available, the organization couldn’t always anticipate the wide variety of languages spoken by community members. The toolbar helps bridge this gap, ensuring that everyone can access Proud Ground’s mission and resources online without limitation.
“We chose Recite Me because even with bilingual staff people onsite, we’re never prepared for the various languages being spoken. Recite Me supports our mission by allowing everyone to have access to our website and mission statement without being restricted by accessibility.”
By providing translation tools directly on the website, Proud Ground ensures that language is no longer a barrier to understanding programs, completing applications, or exploring affordable homeownership opportunities.
Ready to Transform Your Website?
Proud Ground’s success shows how assistive technology can make a real difference in creating a more inclusive digital environment for your customers. By adding tools like Recite Me, your organization can create a seamless user experience.
Are you interested in creating an inclusive online experience for all your customers? Reach out to Recite Me today to find out how we can support you in creating an environment where all visitors are valued and welcomed.
Get a free automated usability scan of your websites homepage. This will identify and highlight any compliance issues on your website, including inaccessible forms. Followed by recommendations on how to implement the necessary changes to make your website more accessible.
