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| Path: Main Street > Resources/Library > Research Articles > Feature Article |
Technology needs of the voluntary sector, and making reports accessible on the WebBy Gillian Kerr, RealWorld Systems
The information in this article is current as of March 5, 2002.
Technology needs
Our study of technology needs in the voluntary sector has been completed. It will be posted in the next week or so, in French and English, on the Voluntary Sector Initiative site.
As you may remember from previous columns, RealWorld Systems interviewed and surveyed hundreds of voluntary sector organizations across Canada about their priorities and needs for technology. We also scanned the literature and looked at the various ways that nonprofits were using technology now.
The results have been analyzed, and the five top choices reflect the core organizational needs of the sector as a whole - for sufficient and flexible funding. They also reflect the need for a reduction in administrative expenses that do not directly meet organizational missions, and the value of sharing information about the sector. The top five choices were:
- (Top choice) An inexpensive and easy to use online database of funders with detailed information about who they fund and how to apply. The service should make it easier to apply for funding by allowing organizations of all sizes to search for funding for which they are eligible.
- Direct funding or discounted prices for computers, software, Internet connections and system upgrades.
- More flexibility from funders to allow organizations to buy computers and software or upgrade their systems as an ongoing operating expense.
- Reduced administration and paperwork for filling out funding proposals and reports. A possible service could eliminate duplication of paperwork by providing a common online database of information that funders frequently request.
- A national web site that would provide 'one-stop shopping' of information for and about the voluntary sector. The web site would include news updates, best practices, links to important web resources, advocacy tools including email campaigns and research about the sector.
Other highly rated choices involved fundraising tools, online and distance training for staff and volunteers, an inexpensive way to create agency Web sites, and a way to find detailed contact information about other voluntary sector organizations.
The Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) Joint Table of the Voluntary Sector Initiative will be recommending a funding initiative that addresses these needs. If you would like to be on their mailing list for announcements, subscribe here.
Making reports accessible to people with disabilitiesThe IM/IT Joint Table has representatives from agencies serving people with disabilities, and has been consistently clear about the importance of ensuring that its published reports are accessible. The report on technology needs of the voluntary sector is being posted in two formats; PDF (Adobe Acrobat's format) and plain HTML.
It's worth talking about the advantages and disadvantages of both formats. PDF is handy because it is platform independent (meaning that you can read it on Macs, PCs and Linux machines, among others) and it looks good when it's printed. You just have to download a free Acrobat reader. However, it is not easy to read on a screenreader, which is used by blind people, and it requires an up-to-date 'plug-in'. Many less experienced web users have trouble dealing with plug-ins, and older Adobe plug-ins don't read the newer files.
It's also expensive to buy Adobe Acrobat, the software that creates PDF files ($250 US) Inexpensive alternatives are easyPDF, which costs $49 US for software that transforms any word processing document into a PDF file, or Adobe's free trial of five PDF documents created online.
Plain HTML is the most likely to be accessible by any computer, and by any screenreader. Graphs and images require alt-text (hidden descriptions that can be read by screenreaders) but otherwise, it's quick to download and easy to post. The disadvantage is that totally plain HTML tends to be ugly. You can see both versions on the IM/IT site when the report is posted. The HTML file is about one-sixth the size of the PDF file, meaning that people with slow internet access will find it far more accessible.
An easy way to create plain HTML files from Microsoft Word is to use a free service called Textism's Word to HTML Cleaner. We use it all the time, and highly recommend it.
Posting documents in Word or Rich Text Format requires that readers have proprietary word processing software. They are not good choices for accessibility unless you post them in at least one other format as well.
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Gillian Kerr, Ph.D., C.Psych.
President, RealWorld Systems
gkerr at realworldsystems.netRead my weblog at http://blog.realworldsystems.net
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