Speaking to our website clients over the last few months a common question has cropped up again and again. "How can I make my school website more accessible?" It's a great question. We love to hear that our schools have a desire to communicate with their entire audience online. With no barriers. School website accessibility needs to be taken seriously. Recently a client introduced us to a fantastic website widget to help you improve your accessibility. Best of all its free.
Let me introduce you to Userway.
What is Userway?
Userway is a website widget that you can apply to your site. Once applied an accessibility tool will appear on your site. This will allow your audience to make certain changes to the display of your site. These changes will allow them to engage with your site in a way that suits their needs.
Want to see the Userway widget in action? Head over to SchudioTv and take a look in the bottom corner.
How do I install Userway on my school website?
Installing the Userway widget has been made very easy for Schudio users. Full details can be found in this support article. However, in brief, you must visit the Userway site, sign up for the widget and paste the code into a field in your school website. You can improve your school website accessibility in just a few clicks. It really is not a lot of effort but will have huge results.
The great thing about this tool is that you can customise the location, shape and size of the accessibility icon so it does not look out of place on your school website.
Why should I install Userway on my school website?
Schools have been asking about school website accessibility solutions for a while now, so I am sure I do not need to convince you that this is a great tool. However, it is easy to overlook the value in something such as the Userway widget if you do not have any accessibility issues personally. I would encourage you to consider how frustrating it would be to visit your school website and to not be able to engage with the content. Its really important to know that there are a huge range of different needs. If you can meet them before anyone even has to ask it creates a great first impression and reputation for your school.
What tools already exist to help with school website accessibility?
As previously mentioned, school website accessibility has been on our radar for a while. Our previous development work on the content box included the addition of an accessibility checker. A tool that scans your website content to make sure it had been written and displayed in the most accessible way. If there is a way to make your content better the tool will tell you. Ensuring your content is accessible is vital. Access issues should not be a frustration for people accessing your site!
If you want to know more about how to take your school website to the next level and some of the lesser known features of the Schudio software, take a look at the School Website Manager membership on SchudioTv. Packed with lots of advice, ideas and how to information for school website managers.
