News : Press Release

SightDesign Launches Project for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies

Novato, CA, August 15, 2005 – Sightdesign announced today that a new website and intranet was launched for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, California.

SightDesign worked closely with CGRS to create a website that was easy to navigate for users on one side, with an attached password-protected intranet system for employee use on the other.

One of the larger hurdles in the project involved restructuring existing MS Access databases so that they would be more “robust” on enterprise level web server systems. SightDesign reformatted them so that they would be fully searchable, editable and dynamic enough to meet the needs of both types of website users. The CGRS database contains over 4,000 case files of past and current cases and allows tracking the status of active cases as they travel through various legal channels.

The newly launched CGRS website also includes an online “Assistance Request” form that plugs into the database, which allows lawyers and those needing assistance to request help from CGRS.

Visit the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies website at http://cgrs.uchastings.edu/.

About the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies

The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is the nation’s leading organization supporting women asylum-seekers fleeing gender related harm, at both the practice and policy levels. CGRS works to impact the development of law and policy to protect women fleeing gender-based violence.

Gender asylum currently represents the cutting edge issue in the development of refugee law, and CGRS is playing a central role in shaping the legal definition and ensuring that the United States offers asylum protection to women who flee serious violations of their fundamental human rights. Established in 1999 and housed at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, CGRS has as its overarching objectives to positively impact decisions in individual cases, while influencing the overall development of the law nationally and internationally.

About SightDesign

SightDesign is a web development company based in Novato, California specializing in the design, development, integration, and deployment of Internet-based applications. Since the company’s start in 1997, clients have represented a broad spectrum of industries, from dot-com startups selling cars or food, to traditional bricks and mortar companies selling products or services.

SightDesign excels in business-to-business applications, notably the design and construction of Intranets and Extranets. The ultimate goal is always client satisfaction and ease of use, both for the internal IT team and end users. Whether the initial project is large or small, SightDesign clients consistently return for additional projects and generate strong referral business.

SightDesign’s list of current and recent clients includes AeroGround, A and D Medical, Inc, the City of Monte Sereno Dominican University, Hastings College, the Politics of Trust Network, the Inertia Beverage Group and Trinchero Family Estates. For more information about SightDesign, vist www.sightdesign.com.

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