The diocese’s website, www.toronto.anglican.ca, has been optimized for mobile devices and to meet current accessibility standards.
“People are increasingly using their mobile devices to communicate and access information, and we wanted to make sure that our website could respond to that,” said Canon Stuart Mann, the director of Communications. “At the same time, we wanted the site to be accessible to those with special needs.”
People who view the website on their mobile devices will be able to access everything that is on the desktop version. A simple homepage and easy-to-use menu helps people get to the information they want.
“We tested the website on as many tablets and smartphones as possible, including the Blackberry Q10 and Z10, iPhone and Android devices,” says Canon Mann. “The website can also be viewed on older models, such as the Blackberry Bold, but people who use them will have to keep in mind that their devices do not have the ability to display websites to the same degree that modern devices do.”
People can donate to FaithWorks through a mobile-friendly webpage. In the coming months, all of the Diocese’s funding programs on the website, including Our Faith-Our Hope, the Bishop’s Company and the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation, will be optimized for mobile devices.
“People can continue to give to all of these important programs through the desktop version, the same as they have always done,” says Canon Mann. “Now they can also give to FaithWorks on their mobiles. We’re already working on making the other funding programs mobile-friendly as well.”
Those who have special visual needs will be able to adjust their mobile devices for better viewing. On the desktop version of the website, a new Accessibility bar is displayed across the top of the homepage, allowing people to adjust the size of the type and the screen’s contrast to meet their needs. Other changes have been made throughout the site to make it easier for people who are visually impaired. These improvements make the website compliant with WCAG 2.0 Level A requirements.
The improvements to the website were made possible by a grant from the Our Faith-Our Hope campaign. “The Communications department is grateful for the funds to do this work” says Canon Mann. “The campaign is about re-imagining the church, and these improvements to the website will help Anglicans do that in a very real way.”
