Innovative new technology which overcomes the web access needs of disabled browsers has been developed by a Midlands-based software solutions company. The brainchild of Adrian Jones, managing director of Blue Spheres in Sutton Coldfield, Create, is claimed to be a revolutionary website software programme which does not discriminate against the needs of the disabled, visually impaired or minority groups. It follows a two year £250,000 research and development initiative in response to new legislation governing websites. The company says the software represents a major technology breakthrough, and is particularly aimed at the public sector, commercial web site operators and large organisations which need to communicate vast quantities of information. Its technology capabilities means that Create is compatible with assistive technologies such as voice synthesised screen readers for the visually impaired, and offers varying degrees of screen colour combinations and text sizes for greater ease of access. Additionally the new software is geared towards providing enhanced accessibility to the hearing impaired with British sign language options. The needs of autistic and dyslexic web browsers are also addressed, together with languages for minority groups. The launch of Create follows the recent scathing investigative report by the Disability Rights Commission(DRC), which revealed that 81 per cent of 1,000 websites surveyed failed to meet minimum standards for disabled web access. Mr Jones said: "Literally thousands of businesses and organisations are unaware that The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) applies to websites and it is now unlawful for a website to discriminate against a disabled or minority group by refusing or deliberately failing to make its service available to them. "The fact that it enables websites to be non discriminatory also means that it is compliant with the DDA and DRC Acts, allowing people to access the site by providing auditory and visual alternatives," he added. The most common problems cited by disabled people who use the web are general communication barriers, for example users may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily, or at all. They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text, out-dated equipment or simply may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the website is written. The new technology also allows for complete content management throughout an organisation, which means the web site can be built and developed without the need for either continuous investment in external provision or large outlay on internal training. Simple to use interfaces and a logical and straight forward hierarchy allows the organisation to disperse responsibility for content, yet still maintain complete control. | 
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