Virginia Small Businesses Partner to Offer Usability and Accessibility Consulting Services
For More Information:
Contact: Paul Spicer
Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications
(804) 749-8646
info@tecaccess.net
Manakin Sabot-March 15, 2006-- Two small, Virginia-based firms have joined forces to offer their respective services to commercial and government clients. The Merge Computer Group provides usability consulting services to a variety of clients from small, non-profit organizations to large, international manufacturing companies to enable them to develop web sites and business applications that are more intuitive and easily-navigable by their respective customers and users.
TecAccess offers Section 508 accessibility compliance testing and consulting to ensure that their clients, including many Federal Government agencies, produce websites that can be accessed by individuals with a variety of disabilities. Widely recognized for expertise in accessibility issues, TecAccess employs a diverse, skilled team of professionals, most of whom are people with disabilities. This uniquely positions the company to realistically evaluate compliance, accessibility, and usability from the perspective of people with disabilities.
Usability and accessibility are both essential aspects of the user experience for web sites and business applications, yet considerable confusion exists over the differences in something being "usable" versus "accessible." As these best practices mature and drive regulatory initiatives, understanding the difference will become increasingly important to those responsible for delivering web-based content and services. The collaboration by Merge and TecAccess will provide a seamless means for addressing both of these critical issues.
Ed Gooding, President of The Merge Computer Group, stated "We are delighted to partner with Debra Ruh and her very fine and reputable company. We see a natural synergy between our services and feel that, by providing them as a package, we can offer our clients the best chance of "getting it right the first time" when they spend significant money on a new website or business application."
Debra Ruh, founder and CEO of TecAccess, remarked, "This strategic partnership will further our goal to make accessibility a reality. Together, Merge Computer Group and TecAccess will demonstrate that businesses and organizations that develop accessible and user-friendly electronic and information technology will effectively reach the world´s largest minority group people with disabilities, and the aging baby boomer population. We look forward to the opportunity to work together to show others that it simply makes good economic sense for technology to be both accessible and usable."
About TecAccess
Winner of numerous awards, including the 2005 Secretary of Labor´s New Freedom Initiative Award, TecAccess is an industry-leading IT firm providing Section 508 compliance and electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility solutions for clients in government, private industry, and higher education throughout the world. TecAccess is a certified Woman-Owned and SBA certified 8(a) and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) committed to hiring people with disabilities.
For further information about TecAccess, please call: (804) 749-8646 , e-mail info@tecaccess.net, or visit our website at www.TecAccess.net.
About The Merge Computer Group, Inc.
The Merge Computer Group Inc. is a business and technology consulting firm serving public sector and commercial clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Available service offerings include project management; business and systems analysis; database design and development; application development (web and distributed applications); usability consulting; and staffing solutions. Merge was established in 1983 and is a privately held Virginia corporation. The company is certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia Dept. of Minority Business Enterprise as a Small Business.For further information about The Merge Computer Group, please call (804) 288-3045, email generalinfo@mergecomputer.com, or visit their website at www.mergecomputer.com.
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