March of Dimes Canada to integrate the TD
Accessibility Adapter, an online accessibility tool available to
the public at no cost, into their national operations.
TORONTO, May 16, 2024
/CNW/ - TD Bank Group (TD) and March of Dimes Canada (MODC)
today announced their collaboration to integrate the TD
Accessibility Adapter, an accessibility browser plug-in, across the
March of Dimes Canada (MODC) footprint, including service users and
MODC employees across Canada.
The tool, which enables users to personalize their online
experience by updating their individual accessibility preferences,
includes accessibility features such as reading guides, adjustable
font size, turning off auto-play videos, a dyslexia-friendly font,
and monochrome and dark modes. It is also explicitly designed to be
used without using overlays and to co-exist with other assistive
technologies, such as standalone screen magnification software.
"At March of Dimes Canada, our vision is to create an inclusive,
barrier-free society for people with disabilities. But as
technology moves at an increasingly rapid pace, we're seeing more
and more barriers like cost and accessibility appear," said
Lesley Smith, Executive Director and
Vice-President, Skills Development & Employment March of Dimes
Canada. "The TD Accessibility Adapter helps address some of those
barriers, which is why we're so excited to leverage the tool with
our network – including our employees – to help level the playing
field."
March of Dimes Canada is a leading national charity committed to
championing equity, empowering ability, and creating real change to
help the more than eight million people with disabilities across
Canada unlock the richness of
their lives. MODC's collaboration with TD will be one of the many
accessible technology programs the charity offers its community,
which includes its Hi, Tech!, SkillingUp, and Tech for Good
programs, helping to empower people with disabilities in
Canada to build their digital
skills and be actively engaged digital citizens.
The TD Accessibility Adapter was initially developed through TD
Invent, the Bank's approach to innovation, to help increase the
accessibility options available to TD colleagues, whether they
identify as having a disability or not. Its initial pilot started
with over 6,000 retail colleagues from TD Bank, America's Most
Convenient Bank® (AMCB) in the U.S. and in June 2023, the tool launched to more than 95,000
TD colleagues around the world. The internal launch of the TD
Accessibility Adapter provided all TD colleagues – regardless of
their disability self-identification – with a tool to help
customize their online accessibility preferences. In September 2023, following extensive positive
feedback and testing, the Bank made this tool available to the
public in Canada and the U.S.
at no cost.
"When we launched the TD Accessibility Adapter to the public, we
did it because we believed it was the right thing to do," said
Baanu Ratneswaran, Vice President, Enterprise Innovation, TD
Invent. "We approach all innovation at the Bank through
human-centred design and to see the uptake of this tool across
Canada and the U.S. tells me that
we've helped to support a very real need."
The TD Accessibility Adapter can be downloaded via the Chrome
Web Store. Once installed, users can follow the below steps to
initiate the extension:
- Click on the Extension (puzzle piece) icon to access
extensions.
- Select the "TD Accessibility Adapter" extension.
- Pin the TD Accessibility Adapter to your preferred extensions
for ease of access.
- To access tutorials on how to use the TD Accessibility Adapter,
open up the extension and click the Help link. You'll find
tutorials on:
- How to access and pin the Chrome extension for easy access
- How to save and manage user profiles
- How to select and modify an individual feature
Today's announcement is part of TD Tech and Innovation Day, an
annual event showcasing the Bank's unique technology and innovation
story. This year's theme is Human-Centered Innovation, which
highlights the people behind our innovation and the customers,
colleagues and communities we innovate for.
March of Dimes Canada
March of Dimes Canada is a
leading national charity committed to championing equity,
empowering ability, and creating real change so the more than eight
million people with disabilities across Canada can unlock the richness in their lives.
We do that by providing programs and services that empower our
service users to thrive at home and in their communities. Our work
is grounded in the voices of the people we serve, built on a
foundation of service, and backed by a more than 70-year history of
success. Learn more at www.marchofdimes.ca.
About TD Invent
TD Invent drives innovation at the
Bank. Through our three areas of focus— Colleague Ideation,
Human-Centered Design and Innovation Acceleration —we work across
our innovation ecosystem to help meet the evolving needs of our
customers, colleagues and communities, accelerating future growth
opportunities. To learn more about how we're helping to shape the
future of banking at TD, visit tdinvent.td.com.
About TD Bank Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its
subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the
"Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North
America by assets and serves over 27.5 million customers
in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in
financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and
Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance
Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient
Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and
an investment in The Charles Schwab Corporation; Wealth Management
and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD
Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD
Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial
services firms, with more than 17 million active online and mobile
customers. TD had $1.91 trillion in
assets on January 31, 2024. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the
Toronto and New York Stock
Exchanges.
SOURCE TD Bank Group