About ScotConnect
There are legal and ethical reasons for building accessible Websites, but for many businesses the most important reason is economic. An accessible Website is easier to use, attracts more visitors, and as a result makes more money.
Apart from training, we offer a range of services including accessible website design, website access audits, and web design consultancy. With seven years experience, in carrying out access and usability audits of existing Web sites we will help you to ensure that you are reaching your largest potential audience through accessible and usable site design. All Web sites designed by ScotConnect comply with the World Wide Web Consortium Accessibility Guidelines. (see http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/)
Services
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Articles:
- Why Accessible Web Design is Important for Business Pat Byrne. (May, 2003).
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Rights Act by Pat Byrne.
Modern Website Management - putting you in control
We build efficient and manageable Websites for large and small organisations. We have developed an accessible content management system called 'QuicknEasyCMS'- to make managing your Website simple and fast. With a QuicknEasyCMS based Website you can manage your own site and update it efficiently through your browser. Updating a page is as easy as pressing an 'Edit This Page' button at the bottom of each page - literally. You can also add new pages and add photographs, or upload file to your site without having to know any HTML or have any technical knowledge.
Training Services
We offer a range of Internet Skills Training Programmes and can work with your Web Design Team or IT consultants to provide them with the skills and knowledge to build, manage and maintain accessible Web sites. If you require introductory or advanced training in Accessible Website Design contact us to discuss a training package designed to meet your specific needs.
Training Courses
- Accessible Web Design in Practice
- ScotConnect - Web Accessibility Issues: Developing Policy
A One Day Course aimed at organisations in the private, public and voluntary sector; also Educational establishments seeking to promote inclusiveness. This course aims to assist management, web design teams and disability rights teams address the issue of web accessibility and support them in seeking to comply with Disability Rights legislation.
Cost: £270. - Contact us today to book your training, or find out about our other services (access audits, accessible web design).
Awareness Raising Seminars and Workshops - Web Accessibility
Social and Digital Inclusion. The Ethical, Economic and Legal Issues
This training will be of particular interest to organisations with a social inclusion/digital inclusion remit and those seeking to comply with legislation; including the Special Educational Needs and Disability Rights Act.
Half day or whole day seminar - covering awareness raising and practical issues.
These can be provided on an 'in-house' basis. For further information email: info@scotconnect.com
Advanced Training Programmes and Workshops
- Training for Trainers - the Internet
- Accessible Web site design
- Awareness Training Workshops for Web designers
- How to do an Accessibility Audit of your Web site
Web sites that are not wonky!
All Web sites designed by ScotConnect conform to the World Wide Web Consortium's Accessibility Guidelines (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/) . When it comes to designing Web sites we have a very distinct approach - not 'cutting edge', not flash but good looking sites built on the back of experience (5 years worth) and lots of research about what works and what doesn't.
Resources developed by our chief consultant, Jim Byrne, are recommended by the Royal National Institute for the Blind: Resources for Web Designers
http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital/links.htm
Jim is Scotland's top expert in the field of accessible Web site design and in 1996 established the International Award winning Making Connections Unit, which promotes accessible information on the Internet for people with a disability.
http://www.mcu.org.uk
Our Philosophy
Web sites are designed to be accessible to everyone no matter the type of computer or Web browser being used. Our approach means that the Web site we design for you will be accessible to a wide audience including: blind users, who use speech synthesisers, users ,who have not updated their copy of Netscape since 1997, people, who have the latest and best browser, and people who use Macs, PCs or any other type of computer.
Prior to designing your Web site we will explore with you the needs and wants of your potential audience and the aims you have for your Web site. This will provide the basis for developing a successful site. We are able to work with Web design teams to combine their design skills with our expertise in accessible Web site design.
We design sites, which are attractive and useable, but in terms of technology, are not cutting edge - no blank screens and crashed browsers because you don't want to spend all of your time replying to e-mails from people telling you that your pages don't work.
If you are interested in putting up your first Web site or are keen to make your existing site accessible and usable we can help you. If you require training or need to fill a skills gap we can work with your Web Designers, IT Consultants or Human Resource Managers.