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Once your company is on the path to an accessible technology mindset, you're ready to take action. It’s time to start implementing inclusive technology practices within your workplace. But these efforts will only be successful if relevant staff across your organization share your understanding of accessibility practices. For example, if you implement a policy requiring that all company documents and PDFs be made accessible, you'll need to train employees on what that means and why it's important. Similarly, if you instruct your web developers to make your website accessible, they may or may not know what that means. And that's where training and professional development come into play.
General staff training on accessibility basics goes hand in hand with training on diversity and disability awareness. It should cover the following subjects:
- Disability basics and the typical barriers people with disabilities encounter in the workplace.
- The advantages of an inclusive workplace and your organization’s overall commitment to diversity.
- Typical solutions to these barriers, focusing on the fact that there are solutions available for almost every situation.
- Examples of accessibility solutions, many of which benefit all users. For example, people with and without disabilities know the value of text messaging, voice recognition commands, video captioning, and many other supports and technologies that were originally developed for people with disabilities.
- Your organization's commitment to preventing inaccessibility through accessible technology.
Naturally, all employees should have a good sense of disability inclusion basics and how to create accessible documents, emails, and social media posts. But accessibility is always a team effort, and many employees will require more targeted trainings depending on their role.
To get started, check out our guide for staff training recommendations for different roles.
