Askability - World's First Website for Disabled Children

14 December 2006

Date: 15 November 2006
The Children's Society has launched the world's first-ever image-led website specifically for disabled children and young people, Askability - www.askability.org.uk - in conjunction with Solutions Squared and Widgit Software.

Disabled young people and children particularly those with learning difficulties often find it hard to understand written words and many struggle to use the Internet in its current form. This means they are denied the opportunity to enjoy and learn from the media that the majority of children use everyday.

Askability (www.askability.org.uk) has surpassed any other site aimed at disabled young people as it uses Symbol, a pictorial-based language to communicate and understand the written word. This cutting edge website is the brainchild of The Children's Society Project in Solihull. Disabled young people using the website can now easily access information thanks to the expertise of Solution Squared in conjunction with Widget and funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

The website offers disabled children access to news and information in a form that meets their needs. The website includes a range of topical material for disabled children and young people including local and national news, sports news, music and film reviews. Users and visitors to the site are also encouraged to provide stories, jokes and feedback. All text is automatically converted to Symbol, ensuring Askability is accessible.

Maureen Murray, Programme Manager at The Children's Society in Solihull said, "Thanks to Widget, Solutions Squared and Lottery funding, Askability offers disabled children the chance to enjoy their own website. I hope children find it fun, user-friendly and informative. It's obviously a massive development for children with special needs. I'm glad it's finally a reality and hopefully lots of disabled children will now be able to get involved."

Angela Gallacher, Director at Solutions Squared said: "We are so proud to be part of this project as we have championed accessible websites for many years. Working with Widgit Software to create a web based Symboliser was a step into a new sphere of technology but we now have a system which can work for any website, anywhere. More importantly however, learning disabled children have a fantastic forum to access information and have a voice in the community."

Widgit Software is proud to assist The Children's Society with this specific symbol initiative. Cate Detheridge of the Widgit Accessibility Team has supported this project all the way. She said: "Widgit pioneered the idea of a symbol website with symbolworld.org. The Children's Society has taken this much further, working with Solutions Squared to create a dynamic website that encourages and supports children with valuable information. Askability will give up-to-date news in a format not otherwise available and provides an excellent communication resource."