Charles Schwab Announces Comprehensive Website Accessibility Initiative

The press release below was issued on May 2 announcing that Charles Schwab has adopted WCAG 2.0 Level AA as its web accessibility standard.  More information, including full settlement agreement at http://LFLegal.com.   Charles Schwab is the 16th major U.S. company to engage in the Structured Negotiations process to enhance website inclusivity.  List (with links) of all settlements available at: http://lflegal.com/category/settlements/web-accessibility-settlements/

CHARLES SCHWAB ANNOUNCES WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVE

San Francisco, California (May 2, 2102) Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. today announced an initiative to make its website more accessible and inclusive for all customers. Schwab’s initiative will particularly improve the client experience for Schwab customers with disabilities. Schwab has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its website accessibility standard and has begun working to meet this standard.

Kit Lau, who is blind, has been a Schwab client for more than 25 years and navigates the Internet using software that reads web pages aloud to her. Lau praised the company’s initiative:

I’m very grateful for Schwab’s significant commitment to website accessibility. I have been blind since I was one year old, and I value my ability to independently and privately conduct my financial transactions online. Schwab has been a wonderful company to invest with, and I applaud the people of Charles Schwab for recognizing the needs of their customers with disabilities.Kit Lau, Schwab customer

Schwab has already begun making accessibility improvements, and will continue to do so over the next year. Information about the initiative can be found on Schwab’s website. Visit Schwab’s Accessibility Page now.

About the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): The WCAG 2.0 guidelines are promulgated by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and ensure that sites are more accessible to persons with visual and other disabilities. Many Schwab customers will not notice any differences to the site, as the Guidelines do not affect the content or look and feel of a website. The guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader voice output or magnification technology on their computers and who, like some individuals with mobility impairments, rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation.

The W3C is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. The Web Accessibility Initiative is a program of the W3C that works with site owners, developers, people with disabilities and other interested parties to develop accessibility standards. More information available at w3.org/WAI.

About Charles Schwab

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 8.6 million active brokerage accounts, 1.52 million corporate retirement plan participants, 801,000 banking accounts, and $1.83 trillion in client assets as of March 31, 2012. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides trust and custody services, banking and mortgage services and products. Investment products offered by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or obligations of Charles Schwab Bank, and are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal invested. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com. (0512-3088)

Contact

Sarah Bulgatz
Charles Schwab
415.667.0328
sarah.bulgatz@schwab.com    



Lainey Feingold
Law Office of Lainey Feingold
http://lflegal.com/
510.548.5062
LF@LFLegal.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LFLegal