Genesis Housing Group is helping people with literacy
difficulties to access information on its website, with the
introduction of Browsealoud software.
Genesis Housing Group, which provides home and services to tens of
thousands of people across London and the
south east, has recently incorporated Browsealoud onto the Group
website to improve accessibility of online content to a further 20
per cent of the population.
Browsealoud, from Texthelp Systems, reads website content aloud for
those with dyslexia, literacy difficulties, visual
impairments or anyone who finds it difficult to read online.
It speaks website content aloud, while highlighting each word
as it is spoken. This combination greatly improves comprehension
and learning. People for whom English is their second language will
now also find it easier to access website
information.
Julie Amory, Group Head of Diversity at Genesis Housing Group says,
"A greater percentage of the population will now be able to access
useful information from Genesis' website with ease.
Genesis Housing Group is committed to ensuring they provide
equal access to their services and the innovative tool, Browsealoud
is key to Genesis' integration and inclusion
agenda.
Once downloaded, users can listen to all websites on the Internet
that are Browsealoud-friendly. The software has a text
magnification feature to increase text size for those with visual
impairments and it can read whole pages of text continuously.
Browsealoud will also read accessible HTML, PDF documents,
hyperlinks and tags behind images.
Julie Amory continues, "Adding Browsealoud to our
sites assists Genesis Housing Group to address our statutory duties
under the Disability Discrimination Act. It also stands as a clear
example of our commitment to remove barriers that can hinder
involvement and prevent access."
Further details on how to access Browsealoud are available on
www.ghg.org.uk or
www.browsealoud.com
- Ends -
For further information about Genesis Housing Group please
contact:
Diana Evans on 020 8150 4178, email diana.evans@ghg.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Genesis Housing Group provides homes and services to
tens of thousands of people across London and the south east. The
Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads and Springboard housing
associations. It is one of the largest and most successful housing
groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 40,000 homes.
Its overriding aim is to put customers first and to provide
excellent service to all.
Seven million people in the UK have literacy problems and 3.5
million people with dyslexia, 8.6 million registered disabled
people. Installing Browsealoud for your website greatly increases
the number of people who can access the content on your site.
Texthelp Systems Ltd is the worldwide leader
of literacy software solutions provided through three core business
divisions: Education, Speech Services and Publishing. Texthelp has
been developing assistive technology software for the learning
disabled community since 1996. The aim has always been to provide
the most comprehensive cutting-edge technology available to provide
inclusive education.
Based in Antrim, N. Ireland and with
offices in the US, Texthelp is currently
experiencing a period of explosive growth. The company has a
reseller network covering over 20 countries.
The premier product is Read&Write Gold, which is designed to
assist students and educational institutions to improve their
reading and writing skills and is also used in the classroom.
Speech service products include Browsealoud, which has been adopted
as the service of choice in the UK
and Ireland to read websites out
loud for those with literacy difficulties, which includes 20% of
the population in the online world. Lexiflow is Texthelp's latest
product and allows publishers to create media rich, multimedia
flash presentations for electronic books and
eAssessment.
Texthelp has been a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award winning
company for six years.
Texthelp Systems Ltd is:
A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner