WordBank is an online dictionary which provides definitions by using simple English, pictures, audio and animation. Hopefully it will make information more accessible to people who have problems with reading, forming concepts or recalling information.
WordBank was created by Enabled London, an organisation which provides information about places with "good Access, Amenities and Attitude in London". They worked with London Metropolitan University, Accelerator, LDA and Gamelab to create a web site to "simplify difficult words and jargon".
There are several good features - you can choose colour combinations for background and text which will improve its readability for some users. The text is read out courtesy of BrowseAloud and they have set up pop-ups using HTML, not JavaScript.
Let's move on to look at some of the definitions, since this is at the heart of the software. Some of them are helpful - a "landmark" is defined as "something that is well known and near where you need to go", but others are very complicated. Take the word, "consult" which is defined as "when we get advice or information from people who know the most about a certain thing". Many learners I have worked with would have as many problems with "advice" as "consult".
This is a bold enterprise which could help website owners by letting them get information across in a more accessible format without the need to develop in-house expertise. However, Enabled London needs to sharpen up its definitions before it goes any further down this road.
