PRESS RELEASE

29.11.2019

Middlesex Cricket first UK pro-cricket club to offer online assistive software

Middlesex Cricket has become the first county cricket club in the UK to support fans online with assistive technology.

Middlesex Cricket has added the Recite Me assistive toolbar to its website to support fans who have a disability, or who speak English as a second language.

They can now use the Recite Me assistive to toolbar to easily access club news and fixtures, and buy match tickets and merchandise on the Middlesex Cricket website.

In the UK there are over 11 million people who have some form of disability, 15% of the population are neurodiverse and 1.5 million people have a learning disability.

Evidence shows that inaccessible websites are a big issue for many people. However, the websites of all sports teams (including Middlesex Cricket's) need to provide language and accessibility support to allow everyone to engage with the favourite club online.

Middlesex Cricket has built on its accessibility work to support people with disabilities with the introduction of the Recite Me assistive toolbar.

Recite Me is award-winning cloud-based software that can be added to any website - it allows Middlesex Cricket's website visitors to customise the website in a way that works best for them.

This includes a translation option that is vital for the approximately 10% of people in the UK who don't speak English as their first second language, which rises to nearly 20% in London.

Middlesex Cricket has also recently announced that Gary Hamilton, a Middlesex Cricket member who is passionate about inclusion, has been duly appointed as the club's Disability Consultant.

Rob Lynch, Middlesex Cricket's Chief Operating Officer, said: "Since offering disabled categories of membership, it's clear to see that there is an increasing need to offer greater accessibility to our fan-base.

"That's why we've committed to be the first county cricket side to integrate Recite Me's software into our web platform.

"Recite Me is an incredible piece of software that will transform how many of our followers interact with the club.

"Our thanks go to everyone at Recite Me for their support and expertise in this field.

"It will greatly help our supporters to connect with the club in a way that best suits their individual needs".

Ross Linnett, Recite Me Founder and CEO said: "Allowing people to easily access information about their favourite sports club online is a key goal for Recite Me.

"By providing a wide range of accessibility tools such as the screen reader and on-demand live translation, fans of all ages can use the Recite Me toolbar to engage with cricket news and events online hassle-free, regardless of their disability or circumstances.

"We hope our partnership will also create awareness about online accessibility across the whole game of cricket to better support fans who often face barriers accessing online content."

Ends

Notes to Editors

For more information about Recite Me please contact Gavin Harris:  

Email: gavin@bigvoicecommunications.co.uk  

Mobile: 07986 688 262 

Image caption: Middlesex Cricket website with Recite Me assistive toolbar open

About Recite Me

1. Recite Me is an innovative cloud-based web accessibility solution which allows website visitors to customise any website the way they need it to work for them.

2. Around one in every five people in the UK has a disability and they can often face barriers like inaccessible websites that prevent them from taking an active part in life.

3. Recite Me's innovative software makes websites accessible through a unique range of features including: text to speech functionality, dyslexia software, zoom and page masking, an interactive dictionary, a translation tool with over 100 languages.

4. Ross Linnett is the CEO and Founder of Recite Me and is available for interview or comment. Ross was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult and founded Recite Me because traditional ‘assistive technology' was limited to only one computer.

5. A live demonstration of the Recite software is available: www.reciteme.com/contact/trial