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Web accessibility testers celebrate success
Achieving an NVQ qualification in information technology is a landmark event for 46 year-old Kevin James. Kevin had hardly touched a computer before he became disabled in 2006, but he contacted national employment charity Shaw Trust for support and is now such an IT whiz that he's part of its Neath-based Web Accreditation service team, helping to ensure website are all-user friendly. "Before being registered disabled, I was in the care field myself, so now I am seeing it from the opposite side of the coin," said Kevin, who developed the brain disorder Arnold Chiari Malformation and Syringomelia, and then contracted Aseptic Meningitis. "I can't use part of my body and am a keyboard user only when it comes to computers. Getting used to that and also dealing with my memory problems means getting an NVQ after what I have been through feels like quite an achievement. "It is also a credit to the staff at Shaw Trust. After two years of not knowing where I was going after two life threatening major operations and being registered disabled, they have been a great help. I had hardly touched a computer before, so to work towards this has been a massive achievement in my life and a big confidence boost, both here at work and in my life outside Shaw Trust too." Kevin is one of four people working at Shaw Trust Web Accessibility (STWA) service who have just achieved NVQ accreditations. Kevin, from Neath Port Talbot, has passed Level One and Level Two. Joy Robey, Jaime Purvis and Adam Armstrong, who have all achieved Unit Accreditations in Level One and are working towards Level Two, have also had to overcome disabilities to gain the qualification. Adam has low vision and learning disabilities, Jaime is blind and Joy has dyslexia and colour blindness. They are part of the 16-strong STWA team that tests web sites for accessibility. Big name clients include First Choice, the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, Sky, the Welsh Assembly, the Audit Commission and British Standards Institution. Shaw Trust has been providing its web accreditation service for over four years. The service, a social enterprise business, includes teams of people with disabilities using a wide range of assistive technology to provide hands-on testing, as well as software-aided tests with a constructive report being sent back to the client. STWA Operations Manager Gavin Evans said: "For these four to be able to go through an NVQ, they had to use assistive technology and hardware to overcome their various disabilities. It has been hard work and makes their achievement all the more outstanding. They have done really well." www.shaw-trust.org.uk
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