The future of work is accessible.
That’s the theme for the latest event by the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (aka RIDI).
RIDI creates disability confident recruiters and helps remove the barriers faced by the millions of people with disabilities who are looking for work.
Today’s RIDI event, which is being hosted by DWF in London, is entitled ‘The Future of Work is Accessible’, to coincide with International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD).
It will involve sessions by speakers including Sarah Charlesworth, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, DWF, Sheri Hughes, UK Diversity and Inclusion Director, PageGroup, and Kate Headley, Director, The Clear Company & Chair of RIDI.
This will be a great event and we are happy to spread the word about the work RIDI do as we continue to support RIDI by donating the Recite Me assistive toolbar for the RIDI website.
It’s a digital world now
This event by RIDI draws attention to the fact the digital transformation is sweeping through our society – and that includes in our workplaces.
No matter what the task is these days, it seems there’s an app for that, the options are infinite. Relatively new web-based software such as service tools performs a huge range of tasks in modern workplaces. These range from an intranet system and instant messenger to software for mind mapping, project management, internal communications and operations, training and professional development.
However, technology can be a great enabler, or a huge barrier, depending on how accessible it is. It can either be used to help people with disabilities to overcome barriers they may have otherwise faced in the workplace. Or it can stop people with disabilities from taking a fully active part in the workplace.
Technology can either hinder or help accessibility
The WebAIM Million study of one million website homepages found that 97.8% of homepages failed to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are the globally accepted guidelines to follow for web accessibility.
The study also found that 85.3% of homepages (852,868) failed to comply with WCAG due to low contrast text, whilst 68% (679,964) of homepages failed to comply with WCAG due to missing alternative text for images.
This means the homepages of these websites aren’t accessible for some people with disabilities, so imagine they need to access one or more these sites for work? Yes, that is a classic barrier.
On the flipside, the Recite Me assistive toolbar can help make your website (or intranet site) accessible for people with a disability and translate your site’s content into over 100 different languages at the click of a button.
This is great for ensuring existing staff who are disabled can use your website to do what they need to do at work, and it can also help you to ensure that any recruitment you do via your website is accessible for people with disabilities.
To mark the RIDI event and IDPWD today, isn’t it time you thought about how to ensure all your organisation’s digital technology is accessible for people with disabilities?
100’s of organisations around the world already use Recite Me to help make their websites accessible for people with disabilities . To find out more contact the team or book a demo.
