Newspapers / Philanthropy Journal of North … / July 1, 1998, edition 1 / Page 4
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Nonprofits Phi]anthr(q)y Journal of North Carolina July 1998 Online barriers Nonprofits need to examine the accessibility of their Web sites Efforts are under way to make Web sites more accessible to peo ple with disabilities. By Emily Brewer For millions of deaf, hard-of-hear- ing, blind or visnally impaired com puter users, Web pages with special graphics and uncaptioned audio and video features are \irtually inaccessi ble and may be in \iolation of the Americans with Disabihties Act. “Any organization using the Web for advertising or sjiaring informa tion with the public at large, and under the umbrella of the American Disabihties Act must make their Wbb page accessible to the disabled.” says Alhson Bowen, assistant director of the Disabihties Governors Advocacy Council in Raleigh. The ,4merican Disabihties Act requires all businesses with 15 or more employees to make reasonable accommodation for employees or potential employees with disabilities. The law aUows individuals to sue their employers or prospective employers it the softw'are they use is not accessible. The law recently was interpreted to require commercial Web sites to be accessible, according to an e-mail recently sent by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. In an effort to increase aw'areness of the need tor gi'eater online accessi bility for the disabled, numerous organizations are working to spread the w'ord about online barriers and are suggesting tvays to improve homepages and Web sites. With some online guidance. Webmasters and designers can break down \irtual barriers and reach a broader cyber-audience. Volunteers aim to spread word about animals By Todd Cohen For a nation of animal lovers, Americans khl a lot of animals. According to AnimalKind, a new Ralei^ group, more than 15 mUhon healthy animals are kUled at U.S. pounds and shelters every year, a dog or cat is put to sleep every 1.7 seconds and only one in nine dogs and cats born in the United States will find a home. The cost to destroy dogs and eats in the United States is more than $1 bilhon a year, it says, and the factor that contributes most to the killings is the lack of spaying and neutering. In Wake County shelters, an estimat ed 10,000 to 20,000 dogs and cats are put to sleep each year, the group says. AnimalKind aims to raise awareness in the Research Triangle area about animal rescue efforts and the impor tance of spaying and neutering. Consisting of volunteers from the advertising and marketing business, the group plans to produce marketing materials and place them in the news media. What it needs to carry out its Ini- f he most important thing we can do is to help unify the animal organizations that are already out there doing a good job. We need to amplify their mes sage and give the message a more powerful voice." Joan Williams A lot of people with disabilities do use the Web, which is often their link to the public at large." Allison Bowen, Disabilities Governors Advocacy Council “A lot of people with disabOities do use the Web, which is often their link to the public at large,” Bowen says. By not making Web sites accessible, nonprofits are blocking many poten tial users, she says. People without disabilities can easily scroll down a page of blinking text, attractive graphics and columns of words on a computer screen with out realizing how that same screen might appear to someone with visual impairments who relies on a screen reading device to read aloud what is on the screen. Nor are people without disabilities likely to realize that computerized audio features they take for granted are inaccessible to the hearing- impaired. And Web sites that are poorly organized or contain confusing direc tions can be especially difficult for individuals with learning disabilities, those who speak English as a second language and younger users. “We are finding that sometimes technology' can be a great barrier,” Bowen says, “especially as every thing gets more graphical. Web pages are becoming more accessible for parts of the community, but tor oth ers, it is getting much worse. Says Richard Ford of the N.C. Industrial Commission: “As a blind person, by the time I’ve finally worked out a new software program so that I can use it, they’ve come out with something different and I have to start from square one figuring out how to use it. It is a process of adjust ing technology geared to the sighted to something I can use.” Lee Davis, Jr., a visuaOy-impaired systems analyst with the U.S. Postal Service, says that advances in tech nology' have been a blessing, but tech nology must be adaptable to those with disabilities. “I could not do the job 1 do now without computers and computer Look for ACCESS, page 21 tiative are volunteers, particularly professionals with expertise in fundraising and pubUc relations. Joan Williams, a Raleigh market ing professional who is spearheading the effort, says a key aim of AnimalKind is to help bring together the region’s animal rescue groups, including about 100 independent rescue organizations, three county shelters in Wake, Durham and Orange counties and the SPCA of Wake County. “The most impor tant thing we can do is to help unify the animal organizations that are already out there doing a good job. We need to ampli fy their message and give the message a more powerful voice.” Leslie Mann, president of Triangle- based Independent Animal Rescue Inc., calls the founding of the new group a great idea, saying that AnimalKind’s work should fill a void. “Most of the animal rescue groups are so busy doing the hands-on res cue work that their publicity needs and organizational building blocks tend to fall behind as a priority,” Mann says. Call (919) 528-4371. Stamp of approval Philanthropy stamp promotional kit helps nonprofits make the most of their mailings Tips on using the new "Giving and Sharing" stamp are available from the Philanthropy Stamp Consortium. By Joan Alford Nonprofits nationwide may request a free promotional kit about the new philanthropy stamp that describes ways to use it in mailings and as a publicity tool. The stamp, to be issued Oct. 7 during the National Committee on Planned Giving convention, cele brates the spirit of philanthropy with the words, “Giving and Sharing. An American Tradition” above art of a bee pollinating a flow er on a green background. Included in the stamp’s promo tional kit: •10 ways to use the stamp in your mailings; •ideas and data to integrate news of the stamp with an organiza tion’s media releases, speeches and other communication; •first-day cover instructions; and •information on ordering mer chandise featuring the stamp. Although as many as 70 stamps have been issued in the past publi cizing causes and nonprofits, this is the first stamp to honor philan thropy itself. Commemorative stamps typical ly are on sale for one year and have a limited printing. Approximately 25 milUon philan thropy stamps will be printed - a lower than average num ber for a limited edi tion, collectible stamp, says a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service. Still unknown at the Journal’s press time was whether the stamp would reflect the proposed first- class postal rate of 33 cents. If not. users of the stamp will have to add a one-cent stamp to their mailings. Kits wiii be distributed while they last. National organizations may request as many as 20 promotional kits, while smaller non profits will be limited to one kit. More information is avail able at the Independent Sector’s Web site at httpyAvww.indepsec.org>. To order a kit, call the Philanthropy Stamp Consortium at (703) 519-8442. New nonprofit stamp commemorates wetlands A new stamp for nonprofit use has been issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The “Wetlands” stamp, selling for five cents, is the third in the American Scenes series. The stamp was dedicated at a stamp show in Virginia in early June. The stamps, available in gummed roils of 10,000, are intended to help add a personal touch to bulk mailings. Nonprofits may receive first-day issue post marks until the end of August by mailing pre addressed envelopes in a larger envelope to: Mfetlands Stamp; l^stmaster; 6^1 Elm St. Mcl^ean, Va. 22101-^1 BRIEFLY Duke to lease Durham Regional Beginning July 1, Duke Universily will pay $3.5 mil lion per year for at least 20 years to lease Durham Regional Hospital's facilities. Duke also will pay $2.1 mil lion a year to Lincoln Community Health Center and $1.5 million toward the county's ambulance service. Technology training expands HandsNet, a nonprofit orga nization that provides online information services and training, is launching the Virtual Training Institute to offer technology training to members of nonprofits when they are attending confer ences. For information, see HandsNet': Web site, http;//www.handsnet.org>. Nonprofit group support waning Competition from social causes and programs such as zoos, war memorials, historic preservation funds and medi cal research has adversely affected the contributions received by Pennsylvania's Wild Research Conservation fund. Donations were down $278,000 from last year. Humanitarian missions in Africa funded The African Environmental Research and Consulting Group, founded and directed by environmental scientist Peter Sam, tackles issues such as providing adequate water supplies and medical care for the people in Africa by coor dinating the efforts of 3,000 scientists, engineers, develop ers, environmentalists, educa tors and economists. New health foundation begun Johns Hopkins Medicine is backing a $40 million health foundation as part of its pur chase of Maryland's Howard County General Hospital. The as-yet-unnamed founda tion is expected to fund health promotion and pre vention programs that may include teen pregnancy and alcoholism. Online auction to aid women in film Women In Film, a nonprofit organization that promotes the fair treatment of women in the entertainment industry, was slated to receive a por tion of the proceeds from the fifth Hollywood Memorabilia Online Auction, a weeklong auction held at the end of last month
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
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July 1, 1998, edition 1
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