READING Borough Council has updated its online services to better suit residents with disabilities.
After taking feedback from residents, the council has added a dedicated page to its website dedicated to providing information about services for disabled people.
It has also seen a revamp of the layout and user experience to make it easier to use for people with specific physical needs.
Information for services such as wheelchair-accessible taxis, disabled parking, and assisted bin collections have now been collated onto a single page.
The improvements were tested by representatives of the Access and Disabilities Working Group before they went live in January.
It followed the roll-out of navigation updates which were put into effect last summer that made the website easier to use without a mouse and on mobile devices.
The council’s website recently scored 92% for website accessibility by SiteImprove, an industry-standard measuring tool.
Around one in five people in the UK have some form of disability.
Cllr Liz Terry, lead councillor for corporate services and resources, said “My thanks go to the Access and Disabilities Working Group for their tireless work on the dedicated Services for Disabled People section on the Council website.
She explained: “The section which is easily accessed from the home page follows direct feedback from residents from our disabled community, telling us about their frustrations navigating through all the different sections of the Council website to find the information relevant to them.”
“Website accessibility constantly needs to be reviewed and adapted to ensure all residents can digitally access the information they need and we welcome feedback from our residents.”
Cllr Jan Gavin, chair of the Access and Disabilities Working Group, said: “I am so pleased we now have a dedicated Services for Disabled People section on the Council website.
She said that the update: “brings together important information to meet the needs of our disabled residents in one place.
“It’s been a long-wished for facility from our disabled community and my thanks go to the Access and Disabilities Working Group and Council’s Digital and Information Communications Technology team for bringing this important work to fruition.”
“We’ll continue to work closely and in consultation with our disabled community reviewing and adding additional and supplementary information to meet their needs.”
