Others have been comfortable with using the list for self-promotion...
And, as the point person on the usability testing of the site, I'd love to
hear what you think of it.
You can send comments to me directly at:
[log in to unmask]
(212) 502-7644
>For immediate release
>
>
>American Foundation for the Blind and Interliant Mark Web Accessibility
>Breakthrough
>
>Vice President Gore Applauds Creation of Site Featuring Enhanced
>Navigability for People with Disabilities; Site to Serve as Role Model for
>Businesses, Web Developers
>
>
>NEW YORK CITY and PURCHASE, NY -- Jan. 17, 2001 -- The American Foundation
>for the Blind (AFB), the national advocacy organization whose mission is
>to eliminate the barriers faced by the 10 million Americans who are blind
>or visually impaired, and Interliant, Inc. (NASDAQ: INIT), a leading
>global application service provider, today announced the launch of AFB's
>completely redesigned Web site at www.afb.org. AFB re-architected the
>site using the design services of Interliant, which will host the new site
>from its Vienna, Virginia data center. Vice President Al Gore praised the
>effort.
>
>While people who are blind or visually impaired currently use assistive
>technologies such as screen readers and screen magnification devices to
>access the Web, most sites are not designed in such a way that these
>devices can properly read site content. The site that Interliant designed
>with AFB contains a range of features that make it compatible with the use
>of assistive devices and therefore accessible to people with disabilities.
>For example, graphics are labeled with text that can be read aloud by
>screen readers, and the site offers low vision users a "change colors"
>feature that enables them to choose the color combination that is easiest
>to read. In addition, all audio on the site is also available in text in
>order to be accessible to those who are deaf or hearing impaired.
>
>"I applaud the American Foundation for the Blind for helping to make the
>Internet more accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired as
>well as all people with disabilities," said Vice President Al Gore. "We
>must eliminate the 'digital divide' for everyone in our society so that
>all can benefit from the fruits of our technological advances."
>
>The AFB site is unusual in that it combines complex functionality with an
>attractive visual environment and is designed to be accessible to people
>with all types of disabilities. It meets the stringent AAA guidelines of
>the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium
>(W3C) established to help organizations build Internet sites that are
>accessible to people with disabilities. The AFB site could also serve as a
>model for compliance with the newly published accessibility standards for
>Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998, which require that all
>federal government sites providing information to the public be accessible
>to people with disabilities, since these standards are based on the WAI
>guidelines.
>
>"Through her work with AFB, Helen Keller dedicated her life to full
>participation in society by people who are blind or visually impaired, and
>she understood early on the role technology would play in reaching that
>goal," said Carl R. Augusto, president and CEO of AFB. "We decided to
>create an American Foundation for the Blind Web site in her honor that
>meets WAI's AAA guidelines and is as exciting and interesting as any other
>site on the Internet. We hope that this site will serve as an entryway
>for many Americans who, like me, want to explore the Web, but find
>inaccessible designs a barrier to participation in the online community."
>
>"Since the 1930s when we invented Talking Books, AFB has been at the
>forefront of setting new standards of access to information for blind and
>visually impaired people," Augusto continued. "Given how critical the
>Internet has become for accessing information and for communicating with
>others, I'm thrilled to have created a site that accommodates people with
>all types of disabilities, meets AAA compliance and is visually appealing
>for sighted users."
>
>"We're proud to be part of providing such a significant technology
>advancement," said Leonard Fassler, Interliant co-chairman. "Our work
>with AFB represents a step forward in bridging the 'digital divide' for
>Americans with disabilities. And the technology used to re-design the AFB
>site can be used as a roadmap for other businesses and organizations that
>want to make their sites accessible to all." Fassler's personal interest
>in the project stems from his own experience in having a stepdaughter who
>is blind.
>
>"As a leading global application service provider, Interliant is committed
>to providing Internet innovation for all of our clients and all end
>users," Fassler continued. "We continually seek out new ways to bring
>valuable information and solutions to as many people as possible."
>
>The technology used to redesign the AFB site has notable implications for
>e-commerce as well as for those selling products and services via
>Web-enabled devices such as next-generation cell phones and personal
>digital assistants (PDAs). The 10 million Americans who are blind or
>visually impaired represent an underserved market for e-commerce
>transactions, since currently most e-commerce sites are difficult or
>impossible for blind or visually impaired people to access. Meanwhile,
>the same coding structure that is used to make Web sites accessible for
>visually impaired people helps make sites accessible to those using
>Web-enabled devices.
>
>Through the newly designed site, AFB provides its unparalleled wealth of
>resources and information directly not only to people who are blind or
>visually impaired, but also to the professionals who serve them, their
>friends and families and the general public. Through elements such as a
>searchable database of vision services nationwide, community message
>boards, job postings and the largest collection of Helen Keller
>memorabilia on the Web, AFB helps people find the information and services
>they need for enhanced quality of life.
>
>Working with Interliant, Inc. (NASDAQ: INIT), AFB advanced its Web
>accessibility using XML programming and database-driven content management
>tools that are state-of-the-art. Through the work of AFB and Interliant,
>AFB now has a graphically rich site that is highly compatible with screen
>readers and magnification devices, which are crucial to the blind and
>visually impaired community.
>
>About Interliant
>Interliant, Inc. (Nasdaq:INIT) is a leading global application service
>provider (ASP) and pioneer in the ASP market. Interliant's INIT Solutions
>Suite includes messaging and knowledge management, security, e-commerce,
>customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning,
>distributed learning, Web-site hosting and Web-based rental applications.
>Interliant, headquartered in Purchase, NY, has forged strategic alliances
>with the world's leading software, networking and hardware manufacturers
>including Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), Dell Computer Corporation
>(Nasdaq:DELL), Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq:ORCL), BMC Software
>(Nasdaq:BMCS), Network Solutions (Nasdaq:NSOL), IBM (NYSE:IBM), Sun
>Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW), and Lotus Development Corp. For more
>information about Interliant, visit www.interliant.com.
>
>About AFB
>The American Foundation for the Blind--the organization to which Helen
>Keller devoted over 40 years of her life--is a national nonprofit whose
>mission is to eliminate the inequities faced by the ten million Americans
>who are blind or visually impaired. Headquartered in New York City, AFB
>maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, and a
>governmental relations office in Washington, DC. For more information,
>visit www.afb.org.
>
>###
>
>Interliant is a registered trademark and INIT Solutions Suite is a
>trademark of Interliant, Inc., in the US, other countries, or both. Other
>company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of
>others.
Contact:
Liz Greco-Rocks
American Foundation for the Blind
(212) 502-7614
[log in to unmask]
Rosanne Desmone
Interliant, Inc.
(703) 762-1759
[log in to unmask]
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