Today, ensuring digital enablement of diversity and inclusion is on the top list of best practices in any industry.
But how can technology assist?
In this article we discuss how accessibility and inclusive design are integral to the development of digital technologies, and how integrating these technologies into best practices is critical for organisations.
We will also explain that while accessibility is a legal requirement, more importantly, providing equal access for all is the right thing to do.
What is Digital Enablement of Diversity and Inclusion?
By designing and developing websites, applications, tools, information, and communication technologies for accessibility, we are merely contributing to digital inclusion. Combining accessibility standards and usability processes with real people ensures that web design is technically and functionally usable by people with disabilities.
User experience designers and researchers can incorporate accessibility to make designs work better for more people in more situations.
Digital accessibility requirement ensures disabled users can access information but diffuses to situations that are covered by digital inclusion. This functionality enables more people, including those with visual disabilities, to access information on mobile devices and laptops.
According to the Technology Vision report by Accenture “Sixty percent of respondents with disabilities agree that more of their life and livelihood is moving into digital spaces.”
Accessibility and Inclusion
Accessibility and inclusion technologies are key elements of our society in order to provide digital experiences to many individuals. Accessibility is a term used to describe the ability of people with disabilities to access the same information and services as everyone else, including broadband availability, essential digital technologies, internet connectivity and more.
Despite the increasing availability of technology, there remains a digital accessibility chasm that excludes many individuals from being able to access the same information, shopping options and social opportunities as others without disabilities.
There are many different reasons why some individuals cannot access technology including connectivity issues, lack of resources such as computers or tablets and socioeconomics. Utilising internet communication technology can be an integral part of an individual’s life which allows for opportunities for self-expression and social interaction.
However, for those who cannot access these technologies due to lack of resources or other issues have become disconnected from these opportunities.
Exploring the Benefits of Digital Enablement on Workplace Diversity and Inclusion
Accessibility and inclusion technologies can diversify the tech industry workforce and provide accessible technology appliances for those with disabilities. Focused companies are taking the tech industry by storm, aiming to make their products more accessible to everyone. These companies have worked with organisations and experts in order to develop assistive equipment that can help find the most personal value for those with disabilities.
Advanced technologies are also enabling people with disabilities to find new ways of life productivity, giving them the ability to do things they may not have been able to before. Organisations experts in accessibility and inclusion technologies have aided that goes beyond just providing equipment; they work on making sure that users can find a comfortable way of using technology that is most beneficial for them.
How to achieve disability accessibility
Disability accessibility is achieved by using communication technologies and providing services and products to people with disabilities without the need for special development or fabrication. Telecommunications services, such as television programming distribution, can be designed and developed in ways that make them more accessible and usable to those with disabilities. Government and industry representatives are also working together to create legislation standards that will ensure the accessibility of common everyday electronic devices. By influencing legislation, organisations can help ensure that everyone has access to usable information regardless of their disability status.
Addressing accessibility in websites and applications through the use of web designers and developers is a key part of creating an inclusive web. Designing websites for usability and inclusion should be a priority for any organisation. Web designers should use usability processes to address user interface components and digital inclusion.
Additionally, applications should include tools that allow users to access information communication technologies easily.
This includes incorporating user experience designers to ensure digital accessibility requirements are met, as well as combining accessibility standards for web design. User experience designers work with researchers and other experts to ensure that all users can access applications regardless of their abilities.
For example, this includes enabling more people to access disabled users as well as those with visual disabilities. This type of digital inclusion enables functionality that allows everyone to access information, regardless of their abilities. Researchers also design work in order to create a user-friendly interface that enables more people to access information.
Accessible technology for Digital Diversity Inclusion
Accessible technology procurement is the purchasing of accessible technology that covers digital accessibility.
For example, voiceover allows people with visual impairments to access information more easily because they can listen to a narration of what is on the screen.
Accessibility features can also include how 4IR technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning can be used to support people with different disabilities. In order to launch their tech initiatives, businesses often use an accessibility toolkit that includes ideas and strategies for ICT products and services that are designed for everyone regardless of ability or disability.
This toolkit also includes suggestions for narration, braille output, as well as built-in features from Apple products such as Voiceover and Speak Screen, which allow people with visual impairments to access content through various sensory channels.
People with physical disabilities may also need tools to help them navigate platforms or use alternative input devices like the mouse or keyboard. Overall, accessibility and inclusion technologies provide everyone with equal opportunities to access information through a user-friendly interface regardless of ability or disability.
CABOLO Subtitle for inclusion and accessibility
Accessibility also includes using technology and AI’s power to communicate and understand better. Thanks to automatic speech recognition (ASR), subtitling, and machine translation, that are all features you can find in CABOLO Subtitle, companies and public institutions can digitally store the contents of meetings. These can also be shared to citizens and stakeholders, as many councils and enterprise board of directors already do.
Conclusions
The need for accessible design has resulted in the development of several technology infrastructures, communication technologies, and accessibility policies.
Assistive technology enables individuals with disabilities to experience the same benefit of a web-based environment as those without disabilities.
Digital inclusion is needed to help combat systemic exclusion and provide access to all. As a result, addressing a broad spectrum of accessibility issues has become essential in order to advance accessibility for all.
There are practical ways to ensure that those with disabilities can benefit from the advances in technology, such as creating a product that is accessible and safe for everyone to use.
