Removing online accessibility barriers for people with disabilities

(NC) March of Dimes Canada is integrating an online accessibility tool into its national operations that allows people with disabilities to personalize their online experiences according to their accessibility needs.

The TD Accessibility Adapter is a browser plug-in designed to co-exist with other assistive technologies and helps address accessibility barriers by enabling users with disabilities such as dyslexia, epilepsy and ADHD to make the websites they visit more user-friendly.

“Our vision is to create an inclusive, barrier-free society for people with disabilities. But, as technology moves at an increasingly rapid pace, we’re seeing more and more barriers like cost and accessibility concerns appear,” says the March of Dimes Canada’s Lesley Smith. “The TD Accessibility Adapter helps address some of those barriers, which is why we’re so excited to leverage the tool with our network – including our employees – to help level the playing field.”

Only three per cent of the internet is currently accessible for people with disabilities, according to WebAIM. And at a time when everyday experiences continue to shift online, people with disabilities are three times more likely than those without to never use the internet, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey.

For users with dyslexia, the tool can swap out all the text online and replace it with text that is more spaced out and easily identifiable. Those with ADHD can black out everything on their screens except for the single sentence they’re reading to help them concentrate. Font size and saturation, the vibrancy of the colours on screen, can also be adjusted for users with low vision.

This is one of many accessible technology programs that March of Dimes Canada offers its communities. Its Hi, Tech!, SkillingUp and Tech for Good programs, for example, help people with disabilities build their digital skills and become actively engaged digital citizens.