IS YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE?

You have a web presence, but is it really accessible to all of the people you serve, regardless of their abilities? When websites and electronic documents are developed without considering the needs of disabled users they become difficult, or impossible for these people to access.

An inaccessible website can lead to negative legal and public-relations ramifications for your organization. Accessible and legally compliant websites and documents are within your grasp when you make WeCo your partner in accessibility.

EQUAL ACCESS: THE LEGAL REALITIES

The laws which mandate equal access apply to government entities, private and non-profit businesses alike. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than twenty years ago, the number of court cases dealing with access issues are increasing each year in the United States.

The social attitudes regarding goods, services and information being equally accessible to people living with disabilities are changing as well. Organizations who respond to such challenges by facilitating and anticipating access needs for the widest public audience possible, will come out ahead from a legal, profit margin and public-relations standpoint.

ABOUT WECO

WECO’S UNIQUE MISSION

The Wehrman Collaborative is a business where the physical and cognitive challenges people live with can create opportunities to educate and improve access to information, products and services. Individuals living with disabilities become experts at access simply by navigating their day-to-day lives. The WeCo Accessibility Test Platform enables these individuals to put their life experience to work to help make websites and electronic communications more accessible for everyone.

The WeCo consultant career translates into an exciting opportunity for people that may have been overlooked by traditional work environments. We consider this talented group of people our best-kept trade secret.

FOR PROFIT WITH A PURPOSE

WeCo is a business that views the skills of people living with disabilities as a viable for-profit business model. Our consultant’s skills are in high demand, timely and valuable, thus, our business is crafted as a for-profit model.

All of WeCo’s services are customized to meet the needs of your test target and organization. Not sure what you need? No problem. We’ll help you find out and develop a plan to draw what you need to know from your Customized Test Case.

WeCo’s standards of access and Access™ Approved Seal

Websites and e-formats that acheive the WeCo Standards of Access (©The Wehrman Collaborative, LLC) are eligible to display WeCo’s Access Approved™ Seal. The seal tells your customers and competitors that your website or project has achieved a high level of user accessibility. The level of accessibility is measured by the number of certified user experience testers utilized for the project’s assessment and the ability of the testers to meet a predetermined level of success in accessing the target.

WeCo’s services are designed to foster access to your website or project to the widest audience possible and to credit your organization with its efforts.

A CUSTOMIZED TEST CASE DEVELOPED FOR YOUR TARGET

Your WeCo Customized Test Case will be designed to simulate how real-life users interact with your website or project, providing you with an optimal picture of accessibility.

REVIEW OF YOUR TEST TARGET BY A WECO CERTIFIED TEST TEAM

Our test teams receive certification training in order to implement WeCo’s Customized Test Cases. This training esures that your organization will receive quality testing results.

WECO’S “SECOND REVIEW” TESTING OPTION FOR YOUR TARGET

If your target requires adjustments in order to meet WeCo’s Access Approved Seal qualifications, we’ll provide a second review of the challenge areas at no additional cost.

WECO’S ACCESSIBLE TEST CASE FINAL REPORT

Providing you with documentation of your organization’s accessibility efforts, this report includes: the list of WeCo Standards of Access Excellence your target has attained and recommendations for improving your website or project’s accessibility.

The statistical data contained within this Final Report can be used to document and demonstrate your organization’s efforts to comply with access legislation. This information can also be highly beneficial from a public relations standpoint.

ONGOING ASSISTANCE FROM WECO

When you partner with WeCo, you get more than just one-time test results. You get an ongoing commitment to service from our knowledgeable staff.

Use our free website resources and call us any time you have questions or need help brainstorming an access issue. Our personal service is available to you at no additional cost, and with no obligation to purchase future services.

 ACCESS EDUCATION SERVICES

WeCo provides government and private industry professionals with a variety of learning options on the topics of accessibility and sensitivity. Because the majority of our company positions are staffed by people who live with disabilities, we bring an extremely personal “real life” feel to these topics. Our instructors encourage questions and discussion from clients in a relaxed and accepting setting.

Below is a list of the most commonly requested courses. Any of these courses can be delivered in a variety of work environments or project settings and all of our training is customized to meet your specific needs and scheduling/time limits. Our staff is also available to construct customized training curriculum upon request.

WORKPLACE SENSITIVITY

• Working With Coworkers Who Live With Disabilities
• Serving Clients Who Live With Disabilities
• Including People Who Live With Disabilities

ACCESSIBLE WEBSITES AND DOCUMENTS

• The Basics of Accessible Web Design: A User’s Perspective
• Accessible From Authorship Series: Word Documents, PowerPoint, Excel and PDFs
• Converting Documents For Access Series: Word Documents, PowerPoint, Excel and PDFs

The following websites and projects earned the prestigious WeCo Access Approved™ Seal in 2011-12. Each has met the WeCo Standards of Access and has been assessed by a team of WeCo Certified Test Consultants. We applaud the efforts of these organizations and businesses to make their web presence accessible and are proud to announce their achievement.

Access Approved™ Seal winning projects may also be eligible for additional WeCo awards, base upon their proactive approach to make their web presence accessible. These honors are denoted within each award listing.

PLATINUM, GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE ACCESS APPROVED™ STANDINGS

Websites and projects that are awarded  the WeCo Access Approved™ Seal are rated with a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze standing based upon the size of the Certified Test Consultant Team that conducted the Accessibility Test Verification. There are as follows:

Platinum: Verification by a team of 14 Certified Test Consultants

Gold: Verification by a team of 12 Certified Test Consultants

Silver: Verification by a team of 10 Certified Test Consultants

Bronze: Verification by a team of 8 Certified Test Consultants

WECO’s ACCESS APPROVED SITES FOR 2011-12

The Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority

WeCo’s Access Approved™ Seal/Silver Award Designation – November 2011

WeCo’s Accessibility Testing Pioneer Award Winner – December 2011

The mission of the Regional Bus Authority (RBA) is to ensure the viability of public bus service in Lake and Porter Counties of northwest Indiana, United States. Since their inception in 2005, the RBA has worked to consolidate administrative services, obtain federal and state grants and secure local matches for those grants. The WeCo Accessibility Test was facilitated by RBA’s Executive Director, Tim Brown.

View the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority’s Award Winning Website at:

http://www.rba-nwi.org/

WeCo seeks a wide variety of individuals representing all types of disabilities and computer use capabilities to work on our test teams and help us deliver the most comprehensive user experience testing results for our clients. To achieve this we partner with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and a number of vocational rehabilitation agencies. Our relationships with these agencies not only help us make the WeCo opportunity available to individuals living with disabilities, they also help us to shape our career offerings to meet the needs of our consultants.

At WeCo we work to build diversity into our test teams by employing individuals from a variety of disability, vocational, educational, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. We also work to provide the WeCo Certified Test Consultant career to individuals who live in both urban and rural settings across the United States.

THE WECO TESTING CAREER

At WeCo, we understand that part of what makes a career opportunity work is having choices.   For this reason, the WeCo Certified Test Consultant (CTC) position is perfectly suited to working at home. Using existing home computer equipment, or a public terminal, our testers can work how and when they need to.

Part of the WeCo business plan is to incorporate a Wi-Fi lobby and computer lab into our office space. This will give our CTCs the chance to work with others in a relaxed office setting, if they choose.  Minimizing isolation and offering our consultants the opportunity to on work projects in a team setting is an important part of the WeCo vision.

WeCo trains people to work as Certified Test Consultants, not just to deliver powerful user-experience testing services to our clients, but to help them develop as confident, effective professionals.

Whether they choose to remain with us as testing consultants, start their own business enterprise, or move on to another work place, the skills WeCo’s  CTCs obtain from our no cost Professional Development Training Program
can equip them for fulfillment in a variety of business environments.

Everything we do at WeCo seeks to change incorrect perceptions the public and our communities may have about people who live with disabilities and their capabilities.  Thus, every Certified Test Consultant (CTC) is strongly encouraged to move past the comfort of their workspace and out into their communities to give back.

WeCo recognizes and celebrates the efforts of our CTCs who do volunteer work, serve on committees and take leadership in myriad of ways within their communities.  They grow by helping others around them grow, making the world a little more inclusive for everyone.

To learn more about becoming a Certified Test Consultant, please complete the contact form below.

WeCo’s staff is here to answer your questions. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

The laws which mandate equal access apply to government entities, private, and non-profit businesses alike. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than twenty years ago, the number of court cases dealing with access issues are increasing each year in the United States.

Stay informed regarding the changing landscape of access legislation by signing up for WeCo’s Access Update emails.

WeCo believes that accessibility and knowledge belong to everyone that is why we offer many free and low-cost resources to individuals, businesses, and governments who are interested in making their communications more accessible to people who live with disabilities.

We encourage you to take advantage of the information offered here and refer to these pages any time you have an access question. WeCo is here for you regardless of if you are currently using our fee-based services or not!

ACCESSIBILITY AWARENESS UPDATES

The laws which mandate equal access apply to government entities, private and non‐profit businesses alike. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than twenty years ago, the number of court cases dealing with access issues is increasing each year in the United States.

Stay informed regarding the changing landscape of access legislation by signing up for WeCo’s Access Update emails.

	Join Accessibility Updates List

WECO WEBINAR LEARNING SERIES

Thursday, June 21, 1-2 p.m. / Web Development for Non-Visual Users*

Creating web sites that are accessible to people who live with sight-related disabilities is not only possible, but gaining this skill will help you become better at trouble-shooting other development issues you may encounter. You will learn:

• About the assistive technology that assists people living with sight-related disabilities and how this technology interacts with web sites and other electronic communications.
• Why some web sites and web site features, such as forms, applications and PDFs, create unique access challenges for sight-related disabilities, and what you can do.
• A plan-of-action you can use to ensure that your online and electronic communications are, and remain, accessible to people who live with sight-related disabilities.

* This course is essential to any organization who seeks to work with Minnesota government due to the state’s legislation on Non-Visual Technology.

	Webinar Registration-Web Development for Non-Visual Users

Wednesday, July 18, 1-2 p.m. / Hitting the Accessibility Target: Web Development for Overlooked Audiences

When you begin to understand the basics of creating accessible online venues, it’s easy to gravitate to practices that favor access for non-visual users. It’s important to keep your access education, and perspective, well-rounded by learning more about how people living with other types of disabilities use the web. You will learn:

• The types of non-sight-related disabilities people live with that may cause access and health issues when they use web sites and electronic communications.
• Tips and tricks you can incorporate into your existing practices to circumvent potential issues these users may encounter.

	Webinar Registration: Hitting the Accessibility Target

 
Tuesday, August 21, 1-2 p.m. / The E-World of People Who Live With Disabilities

This popular seminar and conference course is back in webinar format and is considered the “primer” for web developers and content managers seeking to create accessible web sites and other electronic communications! You will learn:

• How people who live with disabilities use the internet and access the web with a variety of assistive computer technologies.
• More about the laws which mandate online access that touch all organizations, whether government, non-profit or private.
• Have the opportunity to ask questions about real-life user-experiences of a panel of WeCo Certified Web Testers who live with disabilities!

	Webinar Registration: E-World of People Who Live W/Disabilities