Recite Me: Not for Profit Web Accessibility Solution

Introduction

The not-for-profit sector is well known for supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our society. So, it makes sense that many charities and not for profit organizations are taking the lead in tackling web accessibility as a way of championing their causes as efficiently as possible.

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Approximately one billion people globally have a disability and they can often face barriers when visiting inaccessible websites that prevent them from taking an active part in life. Ross Linnett is the CEO and Founder of Recite Me. Ross was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult and founded Recite Me because traditional 'assistive technology' was limited to only one computer.

Recite Me's innovative assistive technology makes websites accessible and inclusive through a unique range of features. This easy to use, award-winning software includes text to speech functionality, fully customizable styling features, reading aids and a translation tool with over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices and many other features.

This innovative software benefits millions of people who currently miss out on online and mobile content; Recite works across all devices, giving everyone the opportunity to use the Internet in the way that it is intended. Recite Me is already helping to make a positive change by providing our website assistive technology to a number of not-for-profit support groups, including:

• Amnesty International
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Violence Free Colorado
• Disability Rights groups across America including Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas

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Non-Profit and Web Accessibility: A Natural Link

By their very nature, not for profits actively work towards equality and inclusion, so right from the very start, we have a clear shared goal. At Recite Me, our focus is always on the benefits to the end user, and how web accessibility technology can bring people together.

Important website functions include communicating the organization's mission and attracting supporters, volunteers, ambassadors, and benefactors. This is almost impossible if websites are not accessible.

In recent times especially, many Americans are struggling financially as a result of COVID-19, so attracting a wider audience by making websites accessible to everyone is a great way for organizations in the charity and not for profit sector to be more visible, help more people, recruit more sponsors, and attract donors.

"The simple fact is that the more an organization does to provide access to information, the more people it can reach." - Ross Linnett, Recite Me Founder and CEO.

So much of our everyday lives take place online now, that people become excluded if they don't have equal access to online information. This creates a two-tiered society, something which non-profits usually work hard to avoid. So again, the shared values between business goals and the benefits of web accessibility are very clear.

Tap into a Whole New Market

Most organizations are shocked at how much more exposure they can gain by becoming more digitally inclusive. Did you know that:

• Around 14 million Americans have a visual impairment
• Up to 23% of US citizens have a learning difficulty
• One in four people in the US have a disability
• An estimated 15% of the population is neurodiverse
• Over 67 million people in the US speak a language other than English at home

All of these individuals need additional help to read and understand information on a website. Whether it's changing the way the website looks, what language it's in, or using a different method of navigation, Recite Me can help make your website accessible to everyone.

How It Works

With the Recite Me assistive toolbar installed on your site, those with sight loss, cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, attention disorders, literacy issues, and varying linguistic needs can access your website in a way best suited to their individual requirements. Users can:

• Personalize font size, type, and colour options to make each web page easier to read.
• Download content as an audio file as an alternative to reading.
• Access text to speak functions in 35 different languages.
• Have text read aloud at varying speeds.
• Convert text into over 100 different on-screen languages.
• Utilize a screen mask and ruler for better focus.
• Make use of the toolbar's built-in dictionary and thesaurus.
• Switch to "text-only" mode to strip away graphics and page clutter.

Our assistive toolbar is quick and easy to implement on your website, and can usually be installed in under an hour. After that the results speak for themselves, but we're still on hand to help. Recite Me contracts come with automated monthly reporting and quarterly reviews as standard, and your dedicated account manager is there to assist with anything from how to drive more insights through our Google Analytics plug-in, to how to market yourself as an accessible and inclusive organization.

"We are so excited to have the Recite Me accessibility toolbar on our website! And, we have already heard from two other organizations who are interested in learning more about the toolbar to make their websites more accessible, too." - Hannah, Community Impact Team, Violence Free Colorado.

How Accessible Websites Help Non-Profits

Over the last calendar year, Recite Me made over 350,000 charity and not-for-profit website pages accessible. Our 2020 data shows that:

• On average, Recite Me users view 4 pages of an accessible website per visit, almost double the average Internet journey depth of just 2.5 pages per visit.
• The Recite Me assistive toolbar was launched on average 15,000+ times every month on the websites of national charities and not for profits. Smaller and more regional operations recorded toolbar launches of 5,000-12,000 each per month.
• Over 770,000 individual styling changes were made by users accessing charity and non profit sites.
• Our translation options were the most popular features on not for profit sites, with some websites reporting as many as 20,000 unique translations.

A Focus on Translation

It's no surprise that our translation functions are some of the most commonly used, given the diverse audience within America. Data USA statistics show that 13.7% of all United States residents were born in another country. To put that into perspective, that's 44.8 million people! The most common foreign languages spoken in the United States are:

• Spanish - over 41million speakers
• Chinese (including Mandarin and Cantonese) - over 3 million speakers
• Tagalog (including Filipino) - over 1.5 million speakers

Add to this the fact that 47% of Internet users globally are non-English speaking, and the case for making your website more accessible to non-native English speakers becomes even more clear. So whatever way you look at it, website translation is something you need.

"When your site is available in multiple languages, you attract the attention of an international market. You also become identified as a global brand which elevates your status and improves your reputation." - Nick McGuire, E-commerce specialist and blogger.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Installing assistive technology on your website is a much more budget-friendly option than duplicating all of your website pages into other languages. The more languages you add, the more expensive it becomes. On average, for a small website of around 10,000 words, the cost of translation would be approximately $1,200 per language - and this doesn't even cover the additional costs of integration and website management.

Plus, some languages require complicated coding (like Arabic and Hebrew, for example). Then comes the problem of which languages to prioritize. Recite Me removes the need for many of these decisions and a big chunk of the cost in one simple install.

What Have You Got to Lose?

A whole lot! Let's count the ways that your organization is limited without an accessible website:

• The ability to reach a wider audience - 71% of users leave a site that they find hard to use, and 83% of people with access needs limit their Internet time to sites that they know are accessible.
• Increased traffic and sales conversions - 86% of users with access needs would spend more if there were fewer barriers, and the total disposable income of the US working-age population with disabilities is $490 billion.
• An enhanced brand image and reputation - stand out from your competition by demonstrating social responsibility through being inclusive.
• Fewer legal implications - it is expected by law that businesses and service providers do not treat disabled people less favourably.

A live demonstration of the Recite software is available at: reciteme.com

Attribution/Source(s):
This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Recite Me, and published on 2021/03/09 (Edit Update: 2024/04/17), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Recite Me can be contacted at reciteme.com. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.