“I can't believe how well our Web site ranks in the search engines. We are more than pleased… ”
Sheryl White,
President, Blinds Unlimited of Northern Virginia,
www.blindsunlimited.com
Contact
T: (202) 861-0000
F: (202) 861-8005
info@bluewatermedia.com
The Foundation Fighting Blindness Case Study
Situation:
The Foundation Fighting Blindness, an organization that champions the plight of the Blind, was itself not living up to their ideals. Their ideals of equal access for the blind were not being achieved on their very own website. With an aging website design that didn't perform and limited access to the blind, The Foundation Fighting Blindness needed a new face on the web.
Objective:
As the leading source of research and information for retinal degenerative disease, the Foundation Fighting Blindness wanted to reach out to their primary audience more effectively. The Foundation wanted to reach their target market of the visually impaired, researchers, doctors, parents of a child with a retinal disease, teens with a retinal disease, and elderly population with macular degeneration.
Solution:
To achieve these goals, the Foundation for Fighting Blindness partnered with leading web design & internet marketing firm, Blue Water Media. Blue Water Media's experience in digital media and communications in the non-profit industry would prove invaluable for a successful website. Blue Water Media not only developed a fresh and compelling 508 compliant design for the new site but an engaging platform with valuable functionality. The new website offered personalized content for users and consolidated tools, calendars, and resources that improve the site's utility. The new website boasts a built-in text-to-speech module that reads the text aloud. With the text-to-speech module and being built with 508 compliancy guidelines, the website ensures accessibility for the vision impaired. All of this built on the open source content management system, Joomla, translates to a website that not only performs better but is more easily managed by the Foundation staff.
Impact Results:
With the launch of the new website, The Foundation for Fighting Blindness had taken their first steps towards a new, improved presence on the web. The new website better communicated with their visitors and provides more access to the visually impaired.
Judging from the success of the website, the Foundation Fighting Blindness asked Blue Water Media to take additional steps in providing comprehensive intranet for internal staff that would aid communications and allow management of the many local 'micro-site' chapter websites.