Take Action on Accessibility: How to Navigate Different Needs and Structures
When it comes to accessibility and disability inclusion, most people think they are doing the “standard” of what is expected from them. This idea of doing the “standard” is influenced by what the people within your industry are doing and whether or not you have had any complaints about your process. “Standard” does not really exist, not without the regulations and expectations set out by governments and policies.
The way accessibility is commonly being presented is through the expectations that persons with disabilities have to provide their information to obtain access. Asking to provide access needs is not entirely the problem, it is not doing the work in the planning and logistics to best communicate to the persons with disabilities on whether or not it is accessible for them. It is quite surprising how often people are not informing the persons who have access needs to participate. Is this the standard we want to keep striving for? I should rephrase, is this the experience we want to keep providing?
Changing perspective on the standard of accessibility requires understanding what standards in specific industries that currently exist, best practices, and the needs of the community. Below are questions that can help you think about it, research for knowledge, and reframe how you see accessibility.
What do you currently do for accessibility?
Where in your work are you looking to improve on?
When do you consider accessibility in your process?
If you do not consider accessibility from the beginning, have you considered;
The length of time needed to request services
The increase communications associated with taking the accommodation approach
Evaluated accessibility of the use of physical and online spaces, current resources, and interaction
The timing of outreach, spreading awareness, and requests to your timeline based on your planning and logistics
What do you consider to be accessible?
Have you taken into consideration the different barriers of mobility, sensory, communication, cognitive, safety, and health as examples?
Have you tested your work in multiple ways to consider the barriers and gaps that someone could experience?
Is the quality of your accommodation equal to the quality of the experience of someone who did not need the accommodation?
These are just some of the questions you can ask yourself to see where you are with accessibility, where are the barriers and gaps, and how to improve. To consider accessibility and disability needs requires evaluation of what you are doing to create an accessible and inclusive experience, not how a person with a disability needs to declare their disability to potentially be included in the space.
In order to do accessibility and disability needs, you need to account for different needs. Planning and flexibility is key here. Accessibility does not just exist. We are not at that stage where we can assume that every physical space, product, service, and online platform is accessible for all. Providing an experience that is accessible and inclusive takes effort but it can be easier if you plan to do it from the start.
In most situations, accessibility of the experience is an afterthought. When only doing the accommodation approach, it is setting you up for last minute changes that feels unexpected because you were not prepared enough. You did not plan with accessibility in mind that provides the flexibility needed to make the experience both for the person with a disability and yours smoother.
It can feel intense with all the considerations that need to be considered with being accessible and inclusive. From communications needs and preferences to assistive devices to the built environment of physical and online spaces, the list can be extensive. However, there are usually resources that you can look up to help such as accessibility guides and checklists. There are usually consistent criteria for every situation to unique accessibility accommodations that can only really be accommodated if the request is provided.
While I have expressed the concern that accessibility tends to be viewed as an afterthought and people are not really making their experiences accessible and inclusive, I do recognize that there are limitations. There are limitations in resources, time, financial support, knowledge, and legislation/standards that play a role. The difference between a good experience and a bad experience is how you communicate and react in those situations.
Those situations can happen and they are learning opportunities for everyone involved. I have a few pieces of advice to provide to help you navigate different needs and structures.
Set the expectation and goal: Accessibility has to be a priority. If it is not a priority, it will easily be an afterthought and will either make your job difficult to accommodate or prevent persons with disabilities from participating.
Work with what you have: Progress is better than perfection. Evaluate where you are and build from there. No one is expecting a perfect transition from an inaccessible world to an accessible one but, they are expecting you to be learning, actively removing barriers, and learning from your mistakes.
Knowledge (or knowing who to ask) is critical: Having knowledge of accessibility is important. It helps with planning and logistics to ensure that you have the tools to problem solve and ensure that the experience can be accessible and inclusive. Knowledge of knowing who to ask for support and feedback is an important piece to this. The same is for advocacy for change, knowing who to talk to about improving access in the space you are in.
Have the conversation: Maintaining communication with persons with disabilities is one of the most overlooked aspects of accessibility. While there are general considerations for accessibility, it is important to remember that access needs is also personal to the individual. In a society that has maintained systems of inaccessibility for so long, trust that the experience will be accessible is still difficult to obtain. Once you show that accessibility is not a priority for you, it is difficult to regain the trust. The best you can do is not ignore the conversation. It is better to have an honest and open conversation about accessibility than leave someone in the dark wasting time wondering if they can participate in an experience they want.
Amanda