Digital Accessibility Matters

We see significant gaps in the accessibility of information published to our institution's digital platforms. This means there are members within our community who face barriers to accessing information they need. Accessibility can be improved through workforce development. Here we created a learning experience that prepares our workforce to recognize the need for accessible content and build the skills to begin to improve it. Results of this effort will mean a more inclusive experience for students and staff across the organization.

 

Situation: We identified a need to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities who are experiencing barriers when reading or viewing content on multiple information channels available in the organization, such as online announcement postings, courses, web pages, video recordings and wiki's. 

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Task: I developed a learning experience that would improve accessibility by engaging and up-skilling our workforce.

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Action: We conducted a thorough assessment of our information platforms and technology to determine areas where we could make improvements to increase accessibility. We consulted with experts in disability inclusion and worked closely with individuals with disabilities to gather feedback and insights on their experiences.

 

Result: Participants are able to:

• Recognize the impact for creating digitally accessible content.  

• Apply best practices for creating digitally accessible content including techniques and tools (alt-text, color contrast, captioning videos, descriptive hyperlinking, heading styles, etc.)  

• Access supports for continuous improvement of digital accessibility. 

 

As a result, we are poised to increase engagement overall.