Good ID accessible design

Mencap

Mencap is the UK’s largest ID charity and a prominent lobbyist and service provider for people with ID.

Their general audience site provides some accessibility features targeting ID visitors, including server-side text-to-speech audio via ReadSpeaker.

Visit Mencap.

Learning Disability Coalition

Learning Disability Coalition is the homepage of a coalition of UK campaigning group for people with ID.

The site is for general audience but includes additional accessibility enhancements for ID users. Notable inclusions are server-side text-to-speech, via ReadSpeaker, and an animated, talking help avatar, via SitePal.

An easy read text as an Adobe Acrobat download is also provided and this includes simplified text supported by accessible concept images from Photo Symbols.

Adobe’s inclusion of easy to use text-to-speech functionality in Acrobat Reader has added greatly to the accessibility of such documents for non-readers.

Peepo

Peepo is a long established picture directory for people with ID. Text and sound are sometimes used to support the primary content which is pictorial (SVG images).

Newham Easy Read

This site is a transition portal linking to numerous mini-sites created by people with ID. Sites are built using a serious of simple forms which allow easy upload of audio, video, images and text.

Some users record and upload their own audio versions of the text, though the server converts text to mp3 audio where no user audio is provided.

Common Knowledge Glasgow

Common Knowledge is a social networking site developed for and around a group of ID users in Glasgow. The site relies mostly on images to support its text based content and services but also provides games and other interactive content throughout the site.

Visit Common Knowledge.

Symbol World

Symbol World is a popular symbol based news, magazine and reference site created by Widgit Software. Text-to-speech is optionally provided via BrowseAloud and Widgit’s own Web helper application Webwide.

The Widgit-Rebus symbols used to support text on this site are the most commonly employed symbol system in the UK, although other similar notably those of Makaton, BLISS and PCS are also in widespread use.

Visit Symbol World.

Ookjij

A Dutch site for people with a learning disability. It uses sounds and pictures so it is easy and fun to use – even if you don’t speak the language.

Visit Ookjij.

Enabled London

Enabled London is a website about going out in London. The site has been developed by a group of people with disabilities, it has practical information opening times and wheelchair access to lots of London venues.

Visit Enabled London.

Easy Health

A health information website that aims to make health information easy to understand. It uses lots of video clips, some that have been made especially for the site and many from Channel 4’s Embarrassing Illnesses TV series.

Visit Easy Health.