weather.com extends weather information to more than 20 million Americans with physical disabilities
The Weather Channel® Companies (TWCC), the world's leading cross-platform media company, announced today a new partnership with eSSENTIAL Accessibility™, a powerful online platform that assists individuals who have difficulty typing, moving a mouse or reading a Web page. eSSENTIAL Accessibility's work is all part of a Disability Community Involvement initiative launched in association with leading advocacy groups for the disabled such as The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ is committed to bringing organizations together with the common goal of reaching out to the disability community in a meaningful way. eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ allows organizations to make expensive assistive technology available to everyone for free, thereby extending access to important online information to more Americans.
The Weather Channel is the first cross-platform media company to offer eSSENTIAL Accessibility,TM which will allow more than 20 million Americans with physical disabilities to access weather forecasts and weather-related information online. A top-20 website, weather.com and the digital properties of The Weather Channel reach 60 million Web consumers each month.
"The Weather Channel takes pride in making weather news content more accessible to a broader audience, whenever and wherever weather matters," said Michael Finnerty, vice president of product for weather.com at The Weather Channel. "We are such an important and necessary resource for consumers that we must make sure weather forecasts and information are available online and readily accessible to those with physical disabilities any time they need."
Users will now be able to click on the icon located on http://www.weather.com/ and use assistive technology to access weather information. eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ benefits individuals with dexterity limitations that arise from a variety of conditions including stroke, paralysis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease among others. It also helps those who have difficulty reading because of literacy deficiencies, limited English proficiency, dyslexia or mild visual impairment.
"The Weather Channel is leading the way as the first major news network to join this initiative," said Simon Dermer, managing director eSSENTIAL Accessibility™. "TWC is setting a new standard for news services as they foster greater independence for people with disabilities in America."
For more information and to see the eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ in action, visit weather.com.
About The Weather Channel Companies
Weather Channel companies (TWCC) are made up of The Weather Channel® television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and WSI. The Weather Channel is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 100 million U.S. households. TWCC also operates Weatherscan®, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The most popular source of weather news and information, TWCC properties reach 60 million monthly Web consumers (weather.com and Desktop) and 32 million monthly mobile users (mobile Web and applications) and offers the second most popular mobile app on all smartphones. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.
About eSSENTIAL Accessibility™
eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ makes online environments instantly accessible to individuals with physical disabilities. It is a virtual wheelchair for websites that empowers users with dexterity limitations that arise from a variety of conditions including stroke, paralysis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease among others. Moreover, it also helps those who have difficulty reading because of literacy deficiencies, limited English proficiency, dyslexia, or mild visual impairment. Organizations feature the eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ icon as part of a Disability Community Involvement initiative sponsored by leading advocacy groups for the disabled. The symbol displayed on the homepage acts as a clickable icon through which visitors can obtain the assistive technology they require free of charge. For more information visit http://www.essentialaccessibility.com/.
