The primary mission: deliver web accessibility solutions to the Canadian market with the Lookit® Accessibility Solution and provide advocacy for persons with disabilities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, Ontario
May 15, 2023
Lookit Design, headquartered in New York City, announces opening its Canadian division with offices in Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area. Lookit Design’s mission is to make it easy and affordable for Canadians with disabilities to access websites. Lookit Design has built a vital framework for digital design with the Lookit® Accessibility Solution. Lookit Design ensures that digital communications are accessible to people with disabilities, allowing them to navigate and engage with digital content effortlessly.
Graham Murray, Founder and President of Lookit Design, says the Canadian initiative was Inspired by the Accessibility Acts across Canada and Canada’s commitment to implementing accessibility standards for all its citizens. These include the Accessible Canada Act, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Quebec’s Accessibilities Laws, the Accessible British Columbia Act, the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) and the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act.
Murray welcomes Blair Lancaster to Lookit Design as the Director of Accessibility Solutions. Lancaster’s passion for creating a more inclusive world is deeply personal. Her own experiences with disabilities have ignited a desire to make a difference. She dedicated two terms as a Regional and Municipal Councilor from 2010-2018 and was a trailblazer for women in business. As a successful entrepreneur, Blair ran her own business for several decades and was also the nonprofit’s Executive Director for 15 years. “Blair Lancaster, a former Miss Canada, a successful entrepreneur and business owner with experience in government and non-profit work, is a Canadian treasure whose passion for supporting the community knows no bounds,” says Murray.
Blair Lancaster explains her reason for promoting accessibility. After suffering vision loss, former Miss Canada Blair Lancaster was searching for help and found the Lookit® Accessibility Solution. “Lookit Design changed my outlook for the future because it gave me independence by allowing me to access the internet. We are now thrilled to bring this accessible solution to Canada and to extend our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity to the local community,” expressed Blair Lancaster. “We invite all community leaders to join our passionate pursuit to make the world more inclusive and equal for everyone by creating digital experiences that touch hearts and transform lives.”
About The Lookit® Accessibility Solution
The application is embedded on each website and connects to cloud-based software. A website visitor can make individual adjustments to how they view the website. These adjustments are personalized and are not otherwise visible to the non-disabled website visitor. The disabled visitor can select pre-defined options or make fine custom adjustments to change colours, font sizes and spacing, adjust contrast and saturation, and add navigational effects such as underlining, highlighting, and focused effects for buttons and links. The software supports disabilities such as vision impairment (blindness, colour blindness, light sensitivity, cataracts, blurred vision, and deteriorating vision caused by aging. The software also supports people with cognitive issues such as autism, ADHD and epilepsy, as well as motor skills impairment (such as Parkinson’s, Paraplegia, including conditions suffered by amputees. The software uses Artificial Intelligence to go beyond the minimum compliance standards outlined in WCAG 2.0, including the addition of assistive technology and features not required in the current specifications.
For media inquiries or more information about Lookit Design, please contact:
Blair Lancaster, Director of accessibility solutions
Blair.lancaster@lookitdesign.ca
www.lookitdesign.ca
905-220-4779
