Members of our Technology Taskforce have shared their experience to help us outline some first steps for those wishing to improve the accessibility of their technologies.
Technology Taskforce members have developed a common approach to affecting change which will help shape your own work, whether your drive is top level via your board or driven up from ICT or HR practioners and feedback from disabled customers and employees.
- Commit - Your work on accessible technology needs to be driven by an informed understanding about the issues faced by disabled employees and customers. Arrange for either board level champions or ICT teams to meet with disabled experts so that you understand how your business creates barriers.
- Standards - Using recognised standards and guidance as a reference point, define a comprehensive set of accessibility standards or best practice guidelines that makes sense to your business, staff and customers.
- Governance - Put in place a governance framework to ensure that you adhere to best practice in the delivery lifecycle of new products and services and document and learn from any instances of non-compliance.
- Educate - Develop an education programme to give ICT and non-ICT staff the awareness and skills required to deliver accessible IT solutions and content.
The members of the Technology Taskforce have also developed an Accessible Technology Charter. Its ten commitments set out good practice which will help an organisation embed accessibility in everything it does, from dealing with workplace IT adjustments, to dealing with its IT suppliers.
