Manchester City Council goes live with highly accessible website

Working with content management system (CMS) specialist, Jadu, the Council site also offers a range of Web 2.0 features such as advanced Google Maps, social book-marking of content, dynamic A-Z services and a simplified navigation structure. Residents will have the ability to search for their local councillor by postcode, and access a range of information, such as local events and education information, quickly and easily using search.manchester.gov.uk – an accessible ‘Google-like’ search website.

Powered by the Jadu CMS with Google Enterprise Search, the new system will also enable Council employees to publish information quickly and monitor which areas of the site are the most used and adapt online content accordingly to fulfil the needs of the community.

Annette Hartley, Senior Project Manager at Manchester City Council, comments, “The Jadu CMS provides a range of benefits for both the residents of Manchester and the staff at the Council. One of the key things for us about the system is the simplicity and ease of use. It also enables us to meet compliance issues, national standards as well as the latest accessibility requirements.”

Robin Christopherson, head of accessibility services at AbilityNet, adds, “The Manchester City Council site was praised by end users and found to be ‘highly accessible’ with a range of impairments for its ease of use. The results of the testing have been implemented in the site to further improve accessibility and make it an extremely usable site for all citizens in Manchester.”

Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu, adds, “manchester.gov.uk is a milestone in Local Government websites. We spent a great deal of time ensuring the new site was accessible and we are delighted to have achieved this. Along with the additional new Web 2.0 features, it is very user friendly and enables the Council to provide a great service to the people of Manchester, who will benefit from the web ‘mash-ups’ we have developed – linking into other government sites such as NHS Direct. Designed to increase the user experience, the CMS will allow Council employees to maintain consistency across all areas of the site and keep content and the public, up- to-date and informed about the region.”

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About AbilityNet
AbilityNet is a charity that brings the benefits of computer technology to adults and children with all types of disabilities. Through its network of eleven centres, it offers a comprehensive range of services to disabled people, professionals, employers and statutory bodies. It provides free information and advice on any aspect of computer use by disabled people including individual assessment of technology needs, adapted computer equipment with full training and technical support, a programme of awareness education, and consultancy for employers on system and workstation adaptations, as well as website accessibility.

In 2006 AbilityNet supplied free advice and information to some 850,000 enquiries through its national freephone and web-based services. In addition, the charity's consultants saw nearly 2,000 disabled children and adults face-to-face for individual assessments, equipment, training sessions and home support visits.

In the same year, AbilityNet's professional education courses and seminars attracted around 6,000 staff from public, private and voluntary sector organisations, seeking to develop their awareness of adaptive technology for those with disabling conditions and learn practical solutions to apply in the workplace, at home or in education.

AbilityNet is dependent both nationally and locally on grants and donations from charitable trusts and companies, to carry out its work on behalf of disabled people and those who support them.

For further details check www.abilitynet.org.uk or call AbilityNet’s

Tel: 01926 429595 E: press.office@abilitynet.org.uk

About Jadu

Jadu helps businesses and public sector organisations to create and manage their online presence quickly, simply and cost effectively. Jadu was formed in 2001 to provide Content Management Systems (CMS) for government organisations. Since its first implementation for the DTI's Oil and Gas portal in 2002, Jadu has evolved further and been implemented for hundreds of private and public sector organisations across the UK.

Providing a refreshing approach to Enterprise Content Management, Jadu offers ground-breaking functionality including integrated Google searches, user intelligence and full statistical reporting, full eGIF and eGMS compliance, intelligent FAQs with a host of other web productivity tools and unparalleled support service.

Further information on Jadu can be found at: www.jadu.co.uk

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Philip Szomszor / Elizabeth West
Berkeley Public Relations
Tel: 01629 826 942
Email: pr@jadu.co.uk
Web: www.berkeleypr.co.uk


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