How to Ensure Workplace Accessibility in Your Organization

Workplace accessibility is about designing work environments that allow everyone, including those with disabilities, to participate fully. It involves removing barriers that might prevent someone from doing their job effectively, whether those barriers are physical, digital, or cultural.

Building an accessible workplace isn’t just a legal necessity; it’s a smart business move. It opens your company up to a broader talent pool and creates a work environment where everyone can be productive. This, in turn, reduces turnover, increases morale, and boosts overall performance.

The Importance of a Cultural Shift

Creating an accessible workplace goes beyond physical changes—it requires a cultural shift. Accessibility should be a priority across the entire organization, not just something addressed when required by law. When accessibility is embedded in your company’s values, it creates an environment where everyone feels valued.

Who Leads Workplace Accessibility?

Responsibility for accessibility initiatives can fall into various roles within an organization. Some companies appoint a dedicated accessibility officer, while others may rely on the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) or Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) teams. Human Resources (HR) leaders also play a key role, especially when it comes to employee accommodations, training, and inclusive hiring practices.

Goals of a Workplace Accessibility Officer

The goals of a workplace accessibility officer fall under these 3 broad categories:

Compliance with Accessibility Standards

Achieve full compliance with relevant accessibility laws and standards (e.g., ADA, WCAG) across all company facilities and digital platforms within a specified timeframe.

Improve Accessible Workplace Accommodations

Develop and streamline a process for requesting and receiving workplace accommodations. Provide accommodations so all employees have the tools and resources to perform their jobs effectively.

Build an Inclusive Culture

Launch initiatives to promote a culture of inclusion, where accessibility is prioritized and valued across the organization, with measurable goals for increasing engagement and participation among employees with disabilities.

What are the main Challenges in Implementing Workplace Accessibility?

Before we answer the question, take a moment to review these workplace accessibility figures:

• According to a survey conducted by Inviqa, only 4% of respondents agree that their digital products were meeting WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) or any other required guidelines.
• 7% of the digital design professionals said they didn’t understand accessibility/ the importance of digital inclusion.
• Ensuring an external accessibility audit is also a major component of implementing accessibility compliance. However, 75% of the respondents said that their company didn’t invest in it.
• As per a report published by WebAim, one million home pages had 56,791,260 accessibility errors, which is 56.8 errors per page.

These numbers attest to the fact that while accessibility is a top priority for most organizations, it is rather challenging to put into practice. The main reasons for these are highlighted below:

Keeping Up with Evolving Regulations

Accessibility laws and standards are constantly changing. Companies must keep up with changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and other local or international regulations.  Staying compliant is a challenge but essential to avoid legal repercussions and protect your company’s reputation.

Retrofitting Existing Systems

Many organizations struggle to update legacy systems to meet accessibility standards. Ensuring that systems, internal tools, and digital content are accessible requires substantial investment in time, resources, and expertise. This challenge is compounded when accessibility wasn’t considered from the start, leading to expensive and complex modifications. This process can be time-consuming and expensive, especially when accessibility wasn’t considered from the start.

Balancing Costs and Resources

Implementing accessibility measures can be costly, particularly for smaller companies. Allocating sufficient resources for training, hiring accessibility experts, and investing in accessible workforce technologies can be a significant hurdle, especially when faced with other competing business priorities. It’s important to balance the need for inclusivity with budget constraints.

Driving a Cultural Shift

Making accessibility a core value requires buy-in from all levels of the organization. Leaders must drive a top-down approach to make accessibility a company-wide priority. Accessibility isn’t a one-time fix. As technology evolves, ongoing efforts are needed to maintain and improve accessibility.

Training and Awareness

Even with the best intentions, a lack of understanding and awareness about accessibility can lead to unintentional exclusion. Employees at all levels need to be trained in accessibility best practices. This includes making sure that all training materials are accessible and that everyone understands their role in fostering an inclusive workplace.

Workplace Accessibility Standards

ADA Compliance in the Workplace

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 by the US Department of Labor to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in areas like employment, transportation, public accommodation, communication, and access to programs by state and local government. It ensures that people with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities. ADA-compliant workplaces include physical and digital accommodations. Compliance with the ADA is not just about avoiding legal issues; it’s about building an inclusive environment that retains top talent.

The Role Of ADA Compliance in Building Inclusive Workplaces

Building Equal Opportunities

ADA compliance guarantees individuals with disabilities equal access to employment opportunities and necessitates reasonable accommodations to facilitate effective job performance. Recent data highlights increased enforcement of ADA regulations, signaling a commitment to combating unlawful workplace practices.

Ensuring Physical Accessibility

ADA-compliant workplaces prioritize physical accommodations such as wheelchair ramps, accessible restrooms, and technological aids like screen readers to ensure inclusivity.

Enabling Talent Retention

In the current labor shortage, ADA compliance becomes a strategic asset, fostering loyalty and retention among employees with disabilities by providing necessary support and accommodations.

Clarifying Legal Compliance

Compliance with the ADA not only fosters inclusivity but also shields organizations from legal liabilities associated with discrimination. Non-compliance risks costly lawsuits, reputational damage, and missed business opportunities.

In essence, ADA compliance is not just a legal obligation but a crucial step towards building diverse, inclusive, and thriving workplaces where every individual can contribute and thrive.

Techniques to Ensure Digital Accessibility

Catering to the diverse requirements of people with disabilities

1. Identify the degree of disability an individual is facing. For instance, some people might have low vision, which means they can see things but not properly enough. For them, the normal written texts might seem small and blurry. Hence, to solve this problem, the devices provided to them should have the option to enlarge certain items that are not visible to them.

2. Provide apt tools and techniques to assist the people with disabilities working in your organization. For example, web browsers should support assistive technologies like NVDA, JAWS, voice-over, talk back feature, keyboard/switch control, apps with general accessibility features, and other automated or manual testing tools such as WAVE plug-in,  and other accessibility checker tools.

3. To identify the diverse requirements, the workforce accessibility officers can unanimously curate a self-assessment checklist with relevant accessibility policies, procedures, and training. People with disabilities can then fill all the necessary fields with their specific requirements can be determined.

Creating Inclusive Digital Experiences and Responsive Design

When designing digital content, it’s essential to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and interact with it seamlessly. Incorporating accessible design principles is key to achieving this goal. Start by incorporating accessible design principles into your digital projects. This means providing alternative text for images, structuring content with proper headings, ensuring adequate color contrast, and enabling keyboard navigation. These practices ensure that users with disabilities can navigate your website, applications, and documents with ease. Implement responsive design techniques to ensure your digital content looks and functions well across various devices and screen sizes. This involves optimizing layouts, font sizes, and interactive elements to accommodate users using different devices or zoom settings.

Screen Reader Compatibility Testing, Captioning, and Transcription

Once your content is designed, it’s crucial to test its compatibility with screen reader software. Screen readers are vital tools for visually impaired users to access and navigate your content effectively. Test for proper labeling of elements and ensure that interactive features are accessible via keyboard commands. You can perform this testing yourself, engage an accessibility service provider, or leverage web accessibility testing tools for support.

For multimedia content like videos and podcasts, provide captions or transcripts. These features not only benefit individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing but also assist those who prefer to consume content without sound due to their environment or personal preference. Descriptive transcripts are especially valuable for people who are deaf-blind and use Braille to access your media.
By prioritizing workplace accessibility in your digital projects, you’re not only enhancing inclusivity but also ensuring a better user experience for everyone.

Developing Trust and Inclusion in the Workplace

An accessibility plan does not work without the trust of the leadership and the employees you are serving. As we discussed before, building and maintaining accessible workplaces requires significant overhaul, costs, and efforts on everyone’s part. You need to get people to understand and believe in the importance of accessibility so that they will commit to the cause. Hence, establishing trust requires a proactive approach that goes beyond mere compliance. Total inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

To achieve this, it’s essential to prioritize building greater workplace acceptance and flexibility. This involves allowing provisions for remote work and prioritizing the mental health and well-being of all employees, including those with disabilities. By doing so, you demonstrate a commitment to their overall success and comfort in the workplace.

For people with disabilities, true inclusion extends beyond physical accommodations like wider doorways and wheelchair ramps. It involves evolving the conversation around disability and taking actionable steps to foster a sense of belonging.

Rather than solely focusing on compliance and hiring statistics, it’s essential to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable self-identifying as disabled. This requires recognizing that accessibility and accommodation are subjective and may vary from person to person.

By implementing these principles, you build trust by showing that you prioritize their needs and are actively working to create a supportive and inclusive workplace for all.

The Role of Technology in Workplace Accessibility

Technology can play a significant role in making workplaces more accessible. This includes built-in accessibility features in software, assistive technologies tailored to individual needs, and adherence to digital accessibility standards. Flexible work arrangements, supported by technology, can also remove barriers related to commuting and physical accessibility.

Trends in Assistive Technology

• AI in Accessibility Testing: AI tools can help ensure digital assets meet accessibility standards by analyzing content and identifying areas for improvement.
• Voice Assistants: Enhanced voice recognition can assist individuals with mobility or communication impairments.
• Advanced Screen Readers: These are becoming more sophisticated, offering better support for complex web applications.
• Inclusive Design Principles: Designing with accessibility in mind from the outset ensures that digital products are usable by everyone.
• Gesture Controls: These offer alternative ways to interact with digital content, particularly for those with physical disabilities.
• 3D Printing: This technology can create tactile graphics, which are especially useful for individuals with visual impairments.

Workplace accessibility is about more than just ticking boxes. It’s about creating an environment where everyone, regardless of ability, can thrive. By prioritizing accessibility, you’re not only meeting legal requirements but also paving the road to a more inclusive, productive, and innovative workplace.