Glaucoma Research Foundation

Website a Model of Internet Accessibility for Vision Impaired

Unveiled at event Sept 8 with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds;
Andrew Jackson Named Director of Communication; Mule Design is Website Producer; Funding Provided by Union Bank and Delta Gamma Foundation

San Francisco, CA, Thursday August 25, 2005 — www.glaucoma.org, already the number one search engine choice for “glaucoma,” will be unveiled Thursday, Sept. 8 in a redesign transforming the website into a model of Internet accessibility for the visually impaired. The showcase of the new site is a highlight of the public launch of the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s (GRF) $7.5 million Catalyst For a Cure campaign, from 6 pm to 8 pm at The City Club 155 Sansome Street in San Francisco and includes a personal appearance by Roger McGuinn of the famed folk rock band The Byrds.

McGuinn, known for songs like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” has recently come forward as a champion of GRF to talk about his own glaucoma, the need for testing to preserve sight, and his belief in the Catalyst For a Cure, the collaborative research GRF makes possible.

“We know that the fastest growing segment of Internet users are people age 50+,” reports GRF President and CEO Thomas M. Brunner, “a phenomenon reflected in our own constituents’ exponentially expanding Internet usage as their preferred tool of communication and source of health information. We are also aware of the need to demonstrate just exactly how accessible websites can be for the vision impaired,” Brunner said. “We already receive 440,000 unique visitors annually to this site, so this redesign was essential.”

Reinforcing GRF’s commitment to maximize Internet capacity to serve its national constituency, Brunner appointed Andrew Jackson to the new position of Director of Communications. As project manager for the website redesign, Jackson retained Mule Design to produce the site. Funding for the redesign was provided by Union Bank of California Foundation and Delta Gamma Foundation.

Features that make the website a model of accessibility, Brunner said, include:

• One source of content available in multiple presentation modes that instantaneously transform every page on the site (as opposed to the old model where content for the vision impaired was often created and maintained separately, but not always kept current);

• A variety of presentations, according to user need, including changes of contrast to reduce glare, three different font sizes (Large, Larger, Largest) and a single column format for those with low peripheral vision;

• Archived video viewed with a single click on “play,” with no additional browser configuration required; video is always accompanied by a transcript of video content.

Mike Monteiro of Mule Design, lead designer for the new website, summed up the goal of creating a model accessible website: “Ultimately, the goal isn’t to create one accessible site, but to make every site accessible. Good design practices for accessibility are simply good design principles that, followed properly, serve to improve the interface design and ease of use for all site visitors.”

The Glaucoma Research Foundation is a national non-profit organization, receiving no government funding. Through research and education, our goal is to protect the sight and independence of people with glaucoma. For more information about glaucoma and donation opportunities, contact the Glaucoma Research Foundation, 251 Post Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94108 at GRFmediadesk@glaucoma.org.