Claire Greenwell
American Cancer Society
Phone: (404) 417- 5883
Email: [email protected]
Mitch Pomerantz
American Council of the Blind
Phone: 626-372-5150
Email: [email protected]
Blind Community Leaders Praise ACS Initiative; Alternative Format Pilot Program Also Underway
ATLANTA— February 23, 2011—The American Cancer Society (ACS), in collaboration with the American Council of the Blind (ACB), has taken affirmative steps to make its newly redesigned cancer.org website and other information accessible to people with visual impairments. The American Cancer Society’s new website provides an improved experience for anyone looking for information, help or ways to fight back against cancer. The new cancer.org is divided into four main sections – Stay Healthy, Find Support & Treatment, Explore Research and Get Involved – that reflect the primary ways the American Cancer Society helps save lives from cancer.
“When the American Cancer Society launched its newly redesigned cancer.org website, we were able to offer an improved experience for anyone looking for online cancer information,” said Terry Music, chief mission delivery officer for the American Cancer Society. “We are pleased that we can also make our content easily accessible to people with visual impairments through our collaboration with the American Council of the Blind.”
“We are thrilled with American Cancer Society’s commitment to make its website accessible to people with visual impairments,” said Mitch Pomerantz, President of ACB. “Today’s announcement is part of the Society’s on-going effort to meet the needs of the visually impaired. The website will provide critical information to those in our community touched by cancer, as well as family and friends.”
Website Accessibility
The American Cancer Society’s new website is designed to meet guidelines issued by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (www.w3.org/wai). The guidelines, which do not affect the content or look and feel of a web site, ensure that sites are accessible to persons with visual and other disabilities. The guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader voice output or magnification technology on their computers and who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation.
“Web site accessibility is of great importance to both the blind community and to people with disabilities generally,” said ACB First Vice President Kim Charlson of Boston, Massachusetts. “Today’s announcement is an important milestone in the blind community’s quest for independent access to health information.”
Alternative Format Pilot Program
The Society’s accessible website is part of a broader initiative to ensure the availability of cancer information to people who are blind and visually impaired. As part of that initiative, the Society has worked with ACB to develop a pilot program that will offer certain ACS materials in Braille, Large Print and Audio Formats to individuals whose disabilities prevent them from reading standard print.
Details of the information available in alternative formats can be found at www.cancer.org/AboutUs/ACSPolicies/accessibility-at-the-american-cancer-... . Members of the public with visual impairments may call 1-800-227-2345 for more information and to request materials in other formats.
About American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
About American Council of the Blind (ACB)
American Council of the Blind is a national consumer-based advocacy organization working on behalf of blind and visually impaired Americans throughout the country, with members organized through seventy state and special interest affiliates. ACB is dedicated to improving the quality of life, equality of opportunity and independence of all people who have visual impairments. Its members and affiliated organizations have a long history of commitment to the advancement of policies and programs which will enhance independence for people who are blind and visually impaired. More information about ACB can be found by visiting www.acb.org.