Home > Accessible Web Services : Overview
Inclusive Technology Solutions
This
area of of site is devoted to the services we offer to help organisations,
developers and project managers create accessible websites of their own.
We provide consultancy on how to meet and exceed the international
web accessibility standard WCAG ( Web Content Accessibility Guideline)1.0."Triple-A"
compliance.
The Pollen Shop has considerable experience of building accessible websites. If you would like us to build an accessible website for you visit the new media area of this site. If you want help building an accessible website or if you have a web accessibility enquiry then you are in the right place.
Why we are unique
We understand both the technical requirements of creating accessible websites and how best to identify if your site actually meets the needs of disabled people themselves. Our experience includes developing best practice web accessibility structures, systems and code for secure, e-commerce, international and large data capture sites. We have worked for some very large companies, government departments and national charities as well as small organisations "of" disabled people and community groups.
There are a very small number of companies globally who offer a similar service with as an extensive track record. This gives us an advantage over other web design firms. However what makes us unique is that we are doing everything we can to share our knowledge and experience, we want other web design companies and developers to have our skills. Our commitment to creating an inclusive internet includes:
- an open source policy which allows developers to share our code
- working with academic and voluntary sector partners to develop WCAG Developer Training
- promoting Disability Equality Training
- supporting research and development into how people with neurological impairments access the web
The importance of web accessibility
Every website should be accessible. Websites that are not accessible exclude disabled people. Inaccessible websites are a waste of an organisations resources. If you are looking at this part of our site you probably know why websites should be accessible already, what you want to know is if we can help solve your access problem.
We can help if you or your organisation wants:
- advice on how to create a standards compliant website.
- a solution to a tricky technical query on a specific issue such as e-commerce or a data management.
- to know if a third party has achieved a specific standard.
- Developer Training to help IT personnel to become proficient in accessible design.
Our background in website accessibility
When The Pollen Shop began in January 2000 our new media consultancy focused on developing traditional websites. Many of our clients were organisations working for disabled people who wanted sites that could reach their target audience. Right from the start we were looking at access barriers. The Pollen Shop has considerable experience working with a range of disability organisations. Much of this feeds directly into the services we offer. We are able, for example, to recommend partner organisations that are able to offer a complete range of pan impairment end user evaluation.
Initially our work did not focus on any one set of standards or one system of creating accessible websites. We looked at a number of different approaches and models but soon we came to realise the importance of working towards the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Over a number of years we have developed a large portfolio of accessible sites. We have also trained and advised web developers in the principles of accessible web design and achieving WCAG compliance. Increasingly we were being asked not to create sites ourselves but to support third parties to create accessible environments. More recently we are now asked to provide reports on compliance or capacity to comply with WCAG.
Our ambition now is to build on this experience and focus on helping organisations to create accessible new media experiences.
