Going Virtual: Accessibility In Times Of The Coronavirus

With the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic many organizations opted to move their meetings, training and learning to online environments. This transition happened seemingly overnight as virtual communication tools, online training solutions and collaboration platforms became part of the new normal. The rapid adoption of tools to support a remote and distributed workforce demonstrated organizational resilience and agility. But at what cost? Did the quick adoption of new tools consider inclusion and accessibility functionality of each of the platforms? While some will be able to answer with a resounding “yes”, accessibility may not have been at the forefront of platform adoption considerations for others.

Why does this matter? 1 in 5 Canadians 15 and older identify as having a disability (Canadian Survey on Disability), which means that it is highly likely that your organization employs people who have accessibility needs. Not all disabilities can be observed and not all are disclosed, which is why working towards creating an inclusive environment accessible to all should be the ideal.

Resources

What should organizations consider when creating accessible online experiences for their employees? Here are three resources that provide tips that can be implemented right away.

Getting Started with Inclusive Design: A Conversation with Brian Dusablon 
eLearning Coach Podcast (33 min)

In this podcast Connie Melamed, the eLearning Coach, speaks to Brian Dusablon from Learning Ninjas about the differences between accessibility and inclusion and the importance of designing learning experiences for all. Dusablon believes that content designed with inclusivity in mind will automatically meet legal accessibility compliance. Learning designers need to commit to design and development workflows that accommodate inclusion from the beginning. This includes creation of online learning standards and organizational guidelines that can be implemented immediately. Start small and iterate - adapt, adjust and improve.

The podcast discusses accessibility lenses and applying those to the design process. “Accessibility is more than compliance. It is about making sure everyone can access what you design and have an equal opportunity to learn from it” (Learning, Ninjas, Accessibility and Inclusion). An excellent podcast for those who design online learning experiences.

Accessible Remote Working Environments - Webinar 1: Making Virtual Meetings Accessible
IAAP Webinar (55:12 min)

This archived webinar will be of interest to those planning and facilitating virtual meetings and will also be relevant to those facilitating synchronous online training. The presenters share platform agnostic best practices for conducting accessible synchronous online meetings focusing on the following:

1. Planning for the Meeting: sharing and collaboration tools, roles and responsibilities;
2. During the Meeting: meeting rules, meeting facilitation, managing contributors/participants, managing conversations, strategies for enabling inclusion;

Some of the best practices identified in this webinar can be applied to online events where attendees are limited in their participation to chat based questions.

Refer to the Accessible Remote Meetings article for a snapshot of the information shared in the webinar.

How to Make Your Virtual Meetings and Events Accessible to the Disability Community
Rooted in Rights

There are many different types of disabilities and each requires different considerations. This comprehensive post provides insight into planning virtual meetings and events for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those who are deaf and hard of hearing and people who have a visual impairment or are blind. Information shared includes tips for how to plan virtual meetings and events to what to do in advance, how to ensure accessibility needs are met during a virtual event and what to consider following the virtual meeting or event. While the focus of this post is not rooted in training and development, the information presented is immediately applicable to virtual training.

The coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity to incorporate inclusive design in development of synchronous (virtual meetings/virtual training) and asynchronous (elearning) training. Everyone deserves equitable access to information and an opportunity to learn. Everyone.

Additional Resources

1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
2. Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion
3. Digital Accessibility Basics
4. How to Make Your Presentations Accessible to All

Tags:  accessibility  accessible online meetings  designing curricula  digital accessibility  facilitating learning  virtual meetings  virtual training