Washington, DC, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With many families impacted by COVID-19, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is working to support children and families year-round, not just during the holidays. By selecting User1st as its website accessibility partner, Toys for Tots ensures people with disabilities can support Toys for Tots and enable parents with disabilities to request toys for their child.

“Ensuring accessibility for all is important to us” said retired Marine Colonel Ted Silvester, vice president of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “After discovering some limitations on our website from a recent audit, we reached out to User1st who was able to efficiently implement modifications that allow accessibility for those who are impaired. We greatly appreciate the work User1st has done for us expanding the audience for those seeking support from Toys for Tots through digital venues.”

Digital accessibility is the ability of a website, mobile application, or electronic document to be easily navigated and understood by all users of varied abilities, including those who have visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.

“Working with children and parents with disabilities has been a rewarding, but sometimes a heartbreaking experience. I hope User1st technology can bring more joy to parents and children who benefit from and support the Toys for Tots Foundation mission through website accessibility,” said Amihai Miron, CEO of User1st.

With the U.S. unemployment rates still above 10 percent, many families are now unemployed and in dire need of support. This may include families with parents or children who have a disability. To provide immediate relief and assistance now, Toys for Tots partnered with Good360 and have already distributed 2 million toys and books to children and families in need who were impacted by COVID-19. To help Toys for Tots restock 2 million toys and books in time for Christmas, please visit their website for more details at https://www.toysfortots.org/covid19.

One in 5 people, or over 60 million, in the U.S. have a disability. Over 7.5 million school children have special needs. There are over 4 million parents with disabilities who have school-aged children under 18 years old. Since 1947, Toys for Tots as delivered over 584 million toys and supported 265 million less fortunate children and their families. Providing web accessibility will open new doors for families and children who receive support from Toys for Tots.

About User1st
Founded with the purpose of making the power of the internet accessible for persons with disabilities or varied and changing abilities, User1st provides the most advanced web accessibility solutions on the market for testing, remediation, monitoring, and compliance. User1st’s solutions are deployed in a variety of industries worldwide, including financial services, retail, government, education, and healthcare. For more information about User1st contact Raegan Bartlo, VP Communications, 202-919-6216 or Raegan.bartlo@user1st.com. Also visit http://www.user1st.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. # # #

Attachments

• Toys for Tots User1st Partnership Announcement
• Toys for Tots - girl reading to bears