media: dolfin announces free isp and better support in coming version.

_    Sight Village  
2000	  
    Dolphin Announce Major New Internet  
    Initiatives for Visually Impaired  
    Computer Users.  
    I.S.P Launch, Improvements to Internet Access  
    and Encouraging Improved Standards of Web  
    Design  
ISP Launch  WORCESTER, - July 18th, 2000 - Dolphin  
Computer Access, a leading developer of software for  
blind and low vision computer users, today announced its  
plans to become an Internet Service Provider, to be  
called “dolphinaccess.net”. The new service will offer	
both internet access and content to Dolphin’s global  
community of visually impaired computer users. Dolphin’s  
Marketing Executive, Stuart Barker explains, “At Dolphin,  
we’re proud of the high level of service we are able to  
give our clients. With the launch of this ISP we will be  
providing them with free email accounts and web space.	
Subscription will be free, and call rates kept to an  
absolute minimum.” The service is expected to become  
available to clients in Great Britain by Autumn and to	
other countries including Ireland, Scandinavia, Holland,  
Australia and the USA by the end of the year.	   
_     
    Improvements to Internet Access  
    To complement the Internet Service, Dolphin is  
    pleased to announce the latest release of version 4 of  
    its software suite for visually impaired computer users.  
    Dolphin’s clients, who enjoy surfing the Internet using  
    Dolphin’s magnification, speech and Braille technology,  
    are all set to benefit.  
    Encouraging Improved Standards of Web Design  
    As part of the company-wide push to promote  
    internet access for people with visual impairments,  
    Dolphin is actively encouraging web designers and e- 
    commerce sites to focus on access issues.  
    Unfortunately, many internet companies fail to take  
    account of access issues when designing their web  
    sites. A recent survey of the largest and most popular  
    sites indicated that less than 25% of web developers  
    had considered access issues. All services which need  
    to extract information from web sites such as search  
    engines or screen readers are prohibited from finding  
    information on poorly designed sites.  
    Dolphin’s Managing Director, Steve Palmer, says  
    "Home shopping, internet banking, information sites, in  
    fact, almost all aspects of the internet can be  
    beneficial to people with visual impairments, especially  
    to the growing senior population." He continues,  
    "Rather than concentrate on the twenty five percent  
    of potentially accessible sites, Dolphin has taken the  
    unique approach of embracing the whole of the web  
    design industry. We are providing a specialised ISP  
    service, we are continually developing our products,  
    and we are trying to improve standards of access  
    through consultation with webmasters and web  
    development houses."  
    For a free subscription to dolphinaccess.net call  
    01905 754577 or [register online by selecting this	
    link].  
    For More Information, Press Only:  
    Stuart Barker, Dolphin Computer Access, PO Box 83,	
    Worcester WR3 8TU  
    Email: stuart.barker@dolphinuk.co.uk Telephone: +44  
    (0)1905 754577  
 
 
More 
 
    [Back to homepage]	   
 
_    Dolphin  
Web Access     
    Dolphin Computer Access is continually developing  
    our software to provide users with the best  
    access to the Internet. However, in order to allow	
    the best level of access, certain considerations  
    need to be taken into account by the designers of  
    the web sites. By taking care to design a website  
    with accessibility to all, there are benefits for the  
    designers and to the users. 
    Under The Disability Discrimination Act, a high  
    street shop or service provider is obliged to make	
    reasonable adjustments to enable those with a  
    disability access to their goods and services. We  
    believe that this should also be the case when  
    online. 
    Dolphin Computer Access would  
    like to help make these sites more	
    accessible. 
    Many of these companies do not take into  
    account that their sites may be used with screen  
    reading and magnification software such as Hal or  
    Lunar which are used by those with a visual  
    disability. 
    [Select this link to download a demo version of  
    Dolphin software to test with a website] 
    If you find a site that you believe needs to be  
    made more accessible, please pass on our details  
    to the webmaster or the designer of the site in  
    question. Inform them that Dolphin Computer  
    Access may be able to point them in the right  
    direction and that designing their site around our	
    software will benefit them by allowing more people	
    to visit their site and and will benefit you by giving  
    you greater opportunities to access the world- 
    wide web. 
    We would also recommend that these companies  
    test their site with Bobby. [For details about  
    Bobby, select this link]. 
     If you would like to inform Dolphin of any  
    company or organisation whose sites are not  
    accessible, please complete the form below. 
    Please note that fields marked with an * must be  
    completed.

Received on Saturday, 29 July 2000 08:22:25 UTC