SDL (LSE: SDL), a global leader in content creation, translation, management and delivery, today announces the general availability of its SDL Accessibility Solution to help companies ensure their content and digital experiences are universally accessible and meet global regulatory compliance.
Close to 15 per cent of the world’s population has an impairment affecting visual, hearing, motor and/or cognitive abilities. Companies need to ensure all their content – both digital and print – is easy to use, navigate, and complies with regulatory guidelines for Universal Accessibility. This involves manually creating, adapting, and checking multiple pages of content, much of which is locked in PDFs, videos and documents. For regulated industries, it’s even more challenging given the volume, timelines and confidential nature of content, compounded by the strict regulatory requirements
The SDL Accessibility Solution addresses these challenges, offering clients a comprehensive solution combining consulting, implementation and technology to help evaluate, remediate and deliver accessible content to improve customer experiences, while reducing their corporate compliance risk.
The solution enables organizations’ content to comply with international accessibility guidelines, including the British Standard 8878, the European Accessibility Act, Section 508 and 504 of the US Rehabilitation Act, AODA, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and PDF UA.
“Much like a physical store or office, companies need to ensure that their online products, services and digital experiences are available to everyone. The reality is that companies – who are already overwhelmed with content – still lack a strategic approach to universal accessibility,” said Christophe Djaouani, SVP at SDL. “It’s not only a corporate responsibility for every company, but also a good business strategy, making sure you reach all of your audiences. Incorporating accessibility into a content strategy can improve the customer’s journey and have an overall positive impact on your customers’ experience and a company’s revenue.”
While regulatory compliance is critical to reducing corporate risk, forward thinking organizations are also taking into consideration the impact on their brand’s image for non-compliance – often not immediately quantifiable, but potentially larger than any fines or penalties. They also must take into account an aging population, which means more people with accessibility challenges, and the emergent trend and consumer expectation to access content wherever, whenever and however they desire in any language and across all abilities.
The SDL Accessibility Solution solves these problems by combining assessment, strategy and services with technology, leveraging capabilities within SDL Tridion Sites – for web content management and publication, integrated with SDL Translation Management System (TMS) for multilingual translation, and SDL XPP, an automated XML publishing engine for complex and high-volume publishing applications. The combination enables companies to ensure that content – from across the organization – is delivered across all languages, available for all abilities and across any channel a customer prefers.