Improved accessibility for visitors to Genesis Housing Group website

Genesis Housing Group is helping people with literacy difficulties to access information on its website, with the introduction of Browsealoud software.

Genesis Housing Group, which provides home and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east, has recently incorporated Browsealoud onto the Group website to improve accessibility of online content to a further 20 per cent of the population.

Browsealoud, from Texthelp Systems, reads website content aloud for those with dyslexia, literacy difficulties, visual impairments or anyone who finds it difficult to read online.

It speaks website content aloud, while highlighting each word as it is spoken. This combination greatly improves comprehension and learning. People for whom English is their second language will now also find it easier to access website information.

Juliet Rodgers,  Deputy Director, Policy & Communications at Genesis Housing Group, said: “A greater percentage of the population will now be able to access useful information from Genesis’ website with ease. Genesis Housing Group is committed to ensuring they provide equal access to their services and the innovative tool, Browsealoud is key to Genesis’ integration and inclusion agenda.

Once downloaded, users can listen to all websites on the Internet that are Browsealoud-friendly. The software has a text magnification feature to increase text size for those with visual impairments and it can read whole pages of text continuously.

Browsealoud will also read accessible HTML, PDF documents, hyperlinks and tags behind images.

Juliet Rodgers added: “Adding Browsealoud to our sites assists Genesis Housing Group to address our statutory duties under the Disability Discrimination Act. It also stands as a clear example of our commitment to remove barriers that can hinder involvement and prevent access.”