Web Accessibility and Management Focus of Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center Web Site

ICITA creates and launches beautiful web site driven by a unique content management system

Boulder, CO - September 26, 2005 - iCita and the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center announced today the launch of a comprehensive web site at www.mscenter.org. The new web site for the Rocky Mountain MS Center provides up-to-date news, events and information to assist people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The web site was planned and designed to meet a broad array of usability and accessibility requirements and, most importantly, to make each visitor's experience beneficial. This process took into account graphical, navigational and contextual displays and the degree they compensated for the visual and physical limitations associated with Multiple Sclerosis disabilities.

Usability and visual standards for visual display terminals were first defined in ISO requirements for ergonomic work conditions many years ago, but these were not designed for people with disabilities. But, as the Internet has grown, a set of International web standards have been documented and researched by the World Wide Web Consortium (also known as the W3C) that maintains a web site with programming and accessibility standards at www.W3C.org. From this the W3C started the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that outlines detailed strategies, guidelines and resources to make the Web more accessible for people with disabilities.

According to the WAI, "an accessible web is essential for equal opportunities for people with disabilities." The WAI provided the guidelines that were a tremendous benefit to iCita and the Rocky Mountain MS Center community by helping to make the web site a more accessible medium. The most prominent example of accessibility on the newly redesigned web site is the ability for a visitor to adjust the text size of content on the web site making it more legible.

In addition to the focus groups, user input and design critique, iCita followed best practices in the planning, design and programming of the web site. The expectation within the development team for any project at iCita is to provide a solid product that beats expectations and allows a client more autonomy in managing their web site. In this instance, a comprehensive content management system runs the web site and provides the employees of the MS Center the ability to create, update and manage all details of the web site. This powerful tool allows information to flow freely directly to the people who need it most - MS Center community.

About the Rocky Mountain MS Center

The Rocky Mountain MS Center offers neurology care, a specialized adult day program, community hydrotherapy programs, large and small group education seminars and support groups. We house one of the largest brain banks in the world and make tissue samples available to MS researchers.

We are pioneering a different approach to care and have developed a web-based survey tool to study the actual use and stated benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among people with multiple sclerosis.

The MS Center emphasizes a holistic approach to care, with a premium placed on ensuring that each individual living with MS and their families receive the most current information and treatment options available.

The MS Center web site is HON code compliant (Health On the Net). The Health On the Net Foundation is the leading organization promoting and guiding the deployment of useful and reliable online medical and health information, and its appropriate and efficient use. Created in 1995, HON is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

About iCita

iCita provides strategic web software solutions to companies enhancing their marketing and technical teams' efforts to increase revenue and save costs through Internet-based technologies. Solutions are designed to streamline technological processes through open source web-based software systems. Utilizing our proven design strategy we enable our clients to aggressively pursue new growth opportunities and drive efficiency into their organization. iCita maintains a web site at www.icita.net where interested parties can find a range of products and services geared to managing the increasing knowledge explosion of Internet technologies.

iCita Contact:
Thomas Smidt, President
303.651.7802
tom@icita.net

MS Center Contact:
Kathy Haruf
303-788-4030 X103
haruf@mscenter.org