The Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities is committed to making Allen County more accessible and inclusive for all. This year’s theme for DD Awareness Month was #accessibleallencounty, and thanks to grant funds from DODD, this theme has become a yearlong campaign! The Board is using ARPA grant funds to help local businesses and organizations become more accessible and inclusive. While these funds primarily focus on physical changes like installing adult changing tables, curb cuts, and push plates for automatic doors, it also focuses on inclusion and access through community experiences, outreach to unserved or underserved non-English speaking communities and inclusive meetings and conferences.
The Board initiated one project in 2023 to become more inclusive and accessible, which was the redesign of the website. This redesign included an updated, modern look and down-scaling that makes the website easier to navigate. The most recent update is the addition of an accessibility tool called UserWay. This tool will further make the website accessible and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) compliant.
UserWay’s accessibility widget is a tool that utilizes an accessibility interface and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make websites more accessible for all. The tool can be accessed on any page of acbdd.org. The widget icon can be found on the bottom right of the screen as depicted in the image below.
Clicking the widget provides the user a number of great features, including built-in profiles such as blind, colorblind, dyslexia, cognitive & learning, ADHD and more. Clicking on any of these will automatically update the website to reflect each profile’s tailored specifications. The widget’s content adjustments allow for the user to change the contrast of the site, make all font bigger or smaller, space out text, hide images, utilize a screen reader and more. There are several options to completely individualize the website to each person.
Overall, UserWay’s accessibility widget is a valuable feature that automatically makes the Board website ADA/WCAG compliant in the background, and then also allows the user to tailor the website to their needs. This addition to the Board’s website is another way to make accessibility greater for everyone and continues the Board’s mission for an accessible Allen County. Make sure to check out the widget, share with those who could benefit, and please reach out if you have any questions!