The European Commission is working on the successor of Horizon 2020, the next EU Research Framework Programme which will outline research priorities beyond 2020. A draft version of the framework (dated 11 April), noted that the biggest changes in the next research funding scheme will be the creation of a European...
With health being a competence of the Member States (MS), the European Commission mandate on the issue is limited to improving cooperation between Member States, to foster best-practice exchange and to establish measures setting high standards of quality and safety of organs – as outlined by Stefaan Van der Spiegel,...
For Kidney Care UK representative Fiona Loud – transplantation is “the gold standard treatment” – as she put it at the European Kidney Forum 2018 in Brussels. Affected by a rare disease causing pre-eclampsia and having to face two episodes of kidney cancer, Fiona Loud said she was fortunate enough...
EKHA has launched the Gift Of Life campaign to boost organ donation and foster increased access to transplantation across EU Member States. An advocacy initiative, EKHA’s Gift of Life campaign aims to raise awareness on the need for: a coordinated approach at EU level as regards kidney donation appropriate legal,...
There is still time to register your participation at this year’s European Kidney Forum which will take place on 26 April 2018 at 4.30 in the European Parliament in Brussels. Organized each spring by EKHA and the MEP Group for Kidney Health, the European Kidney Forum 2018 is themed: Kidney Donation...
Started on 1st January 2017 with funding from the European Commission under the 3rd Health Programme, the EDITH project is based on the realization that different treatment modalities are currently used throughout the EU for End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD). It aims to examine the factors that influence the different...
On 14-16 May, Kidney Research UK, the leading charity dedicated to research into kidney disease in the UK is for the second year in a row, partnering with the “Pint of Science Festival”, an international science festival bringing together leading scientists and researchers to local pubs, so people can...
The first international treaty aimed at combating trafficking in human organs, the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs recently entered into force in the first five countries which have some far ratified it. Another 17 countries have signed but not ratified the Convention: Albania, Czech Republic,...
As mentioned in EKHA Newsletter’s previous edition, Theresa May initiated plans to implement an opt-out system for organ donation last October and is undergoing a consultation on the issue. In parallel, MP Geoffrey Robinson's private members’ bill, recently passed its second reading in Parliament and will now be examined at the...
This year’s World Kidney Day is entitled “Kidneys & Women’s Health: Include, Value, Empower” celebrates kidneys and women’s Health. With World Kidney Day and the International Women’s Day 2018 being commemorated on the same day, this offers a good opportunity to reflect on the importance of women’ s health and...
European Kidney Health Alliance
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To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
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Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.
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Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out via contact form.
