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Websites
Built environment
Printed materials
Products and services
Websites
Royal Bank of Scotland
In 2006 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) began research to find out whether disabled customers had any problems using its websites. Twelve people with disabilities including visual impairments, motor impairments and dyslexia took part in the first phase of the testing, which looked at three websites: RBS Digital Banking, privilege.co.uk and rbs.com.
While the tests showed that the sites appeared to offer a high degree of accessibility, some minor issues were discovered, including missing labels, inappropriate colour contrasts and navigation difficulties. All of these have now been resolved or their resolution built into other projects. A second phase of testing is now under way.
As a result of customer feedback RBS has reviewed some of its products. Affinion is a provider used to offer RBS customers access to non-banking services. In February RBS signed off an update to Affinion's DDA policy, which brings the provider more closely in line with RBS’s own policy. This review prompted a number of actions and improvements, including additional/refresher training for call centre staff to ensure Textphones and Typetalk services are always available and a review of the discounted hotel and dining benefit accessibility and booking process for visually impaired customers, leading to the introduction of a call-back process.
British Library
The new Centre for Conservation at the British Library (www.bl.uk) opened in March 2007. It provides facilities and programmes for the public on conservation, collection care and a sound archive.
As part of the planning process, the library ensured that those involved in the design contract fully recognised the needs of disabled people and their legal obligations. It also ensured that “all the boxes were ticked” by bringing in a disability access consultant to audit the design of the centre.
The library provides a range of accessible services, from digital magnifiers to large screen monitors for readers. It is currently developing customised tours for different disabled groups. It reviews the accessibility of its services on a regular basis and look for improvements following reader feedback.
Lloyds TSB
When Lloyds TSB’s corporate banking business unit decided to develop a secure electronic authentication device for all customers to sign on to internet banking, it recognised that this needed to be accessible to customers with visual and motor neurological impairments. Consequently, it developed and patented a new authentication card and reader in consultation with disabled users. The new card and reader are fully accessible and enable disabled customers to enjoy secure internet banking.
Lloyds TSB records details of all customer concerns on a database that captures disability-related complaints. One example was a concern about internet banking response times, where the service level agreement could disadvantage disabled customers who found telephone or branch use difficult.
As a result it is reviewing the internet banking service so that all customer questions are answered within 24 hours. This improvement “benefits all customers, not just those with disabilities”.
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Accessibility Features
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust's website has been built with the intention of making the content accessible to the widest range of visitors, regardless of disability or impairment. The following accessibility features have been incorporated into the site:
Standards Compliance
The pages on this website were built in 2007 to comply with a minimum Level 1 standard as defined by the Worldwide Web Consortium (WC3/508), the international web standards body, through its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and tested through the automated tool, WebExact. Where possible the site aims to achieve Level 2 standards for some pages.
Text Size Changer
The site allows users to increase the text size. You can find the text size changer panel at the top of every page.
Contrast Changer
This site has a number of colour schemes for you to choose from. Every page has links to 'High Viz', Dyslexia friendly and default styles at the top of the page.
Navigation aids
The navigation system has been constructed in a consistent fashion throughout the website. The additional breadcrumb navigation system is designed to reinforce awareness of the location of the page that is being viewed within the website. All pages on the website include a search box.
Links
All links have title attributes, which describe the link in greater detail.
Images
All images used in this site include descriptive ALT attributes, which describe the image for non-visual readers.
Maintaining an accessible site is an ongoing process and we are continually working to offer a user friendly experience. However, if you have any problems using this web site please contact us by email.
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Built environment
Habinteg Housing Association
Habinteg Housing Association (www.habinteg.org.uk) champions inclusion by building and managing sustainable neighbourhoods of Lifetime Homes and wheelchair standard homes for disabled and non-disabled people. It supports disabled tenants through an adaptations service funded from its own resources. The objective is to assist tenants in maintaining independence and safety in their homes.
Resources are provided both by an in-house occupational therapist and by a dedicated budget for direct expenditure on adaptations to tenants’ homes equivalent to 23 per cent of its annual budget for responsive maintenance to properties.
During the financial year to end of March 2007, the housing association undertook the installation of approximately 285 new adaptations. These included support rails, level access showers and works to meet the needs of people with sensory impairment, for example flashing door bells and vibrating alarms linked to smoke detectors.
Habinteg’s two main offices, in Bradford and London, were specifically designed to incorporate as many features of good practice as practical. Features include Braille signposting, accessible toilets and showers, in-built induction loop systems and dual height reception desks.
Habinteg’s publications are available in a range of alternative formats. A database allows orders to be despatched in the appropriate format without the customer needing to make a specific request.
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Printed Material
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB (www.lloydstsb.com) provides visually impaired customers who require it with adapted formats of its literature, such as large print, Braille, CD-ROM and plain text. Over 25,000 statements a month are sent out in different formats.
In 2005 Lloyds TSB reviewed its in-house provision of other literature such as brochures, forms and letters and decided to work with MPH, one of the UK’s largest transcription agencies, to harness their expertise, speed of delivery and economies of scale. The group publicised this service via its retail bank’s intranet site and, as a result, “more customers than ever before are receiving items in different formats”. In 2006, 23,843 items were transcribed into alternative formats.
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Products and services
Buckinghamshire PCT
Information is collected through the Patient Liaison Service. The service has received calls from patients who need an NHS dentist with disabled access, to people with visual impairments who require audio information. As well as solving the issue for the caller, they then alert the appropriate managers demonstrating that these services are required and if any improvements/adjustments need to be made.
Other methods of improving accessibility include partnership working with various action groups, working with Access officers in District Councils etc and in addition producing guidelines on making patient literature accessible.
The PCT works closely with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Patient and Public Involvement Forum to gather information regarding accessibility issues among other things and then use this information to improve the accessibility to our services. The mechanism for this is attendance at their meetings, listening to discussions, noting concerns, making improvements and then arranging visits to our facilities by them to review the situation.
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