Presented at 3:30pm in Plaza Court 2 on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
#33992Speaker(s)
- Lorenzo Milani, Mr, SAGE Publishing
- Lorna Notsch, , SAGE Publishing
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: All Levels
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Drawing on our experience as accessibility specialists, we provide practical suggestions on how to communicate and collaborate around product and platform accessibility. We discuss how to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between customer and vendor based on transparency, shared expectations, and concise and accurate feedback.
Abstract
While it can sometimes seem that customers and vendors are not on the same page regarding accessibility, they share common challenges and goals. Finding and appreciating these commonalities can foster honest and productive collaboration to ultimately improve product and content accessibility. We approach this relationship from a publisher’s perspective, but these suggestions and examples can be applied more broadly as well, even internally. Transparency and mutually shared expectations are key components in building a productive relationship, and these can be facilitated through documentation such as VPATs, roadmaps, and accessibility statements; detailed customer feedback; and clear, timely communication. Through practical examples, we explore how to promote better understanding to achieve shared accessibility goals.
Keypoints
- Customers and vendors often share common challenges and goals when it comes to digital accessibility.
- Communication, transparency and mutually shared expectations help build a productive relationship.
- Documentation such as VPATs, roadmaps, and accessibility statement can help facilitate this relationsip.
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Administrative/Campus Policy, Faculty Development & Support, Other, Procurement, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Lorenzo Milani
Lorenzo Milani joined SAGE Publishing as part of the User Experience Team in 2018. He wears different hats in his role, focusing on digital accessibility, data and analytics, and discovery opportunities across the organisation.
Lorna Notsch
Lorna Notsch has worked in digital accessibility for seven years and is always ready to assist on accessibility initiatives through testing, education, and document creation.