What is accessibility?

Accessibility is about designing and creating products, services and environments that everyone can use and understand. It also means communicating with the community in ways that make information clear and accessible to all, including people with disability.

What are some examples of accessibility?

Accessibility includes simple changes like:

• Adding alt text to images: Descriptions of images help people using screen readers understand visuals.
• Using large, easy-to-read fonts: Clear fonts make reading easier, especially for people who are blind or have low vision.
• Adding captions to videos: Captions help more people understand video content, especially people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Using sufficient colour contrast: Sufficient colour contrast makes your content easier to see and read, especially for people with colour vision deficiencies.
• Don’t use colour alone to convey meaning: Combining color with other indicators, such as text labels or patterns, will help more people understand your content, especially people with colour vision deficiencies.
• Enabling keyboard-friendly navigation: Allowing navigation without a mouse will help people with limited mobility use your content.

What are the benefits of accessibility?

Making your products, services or content accessible benefits everyone – not just people with disability. Here’s how accessibility can make a difference:

• Broader audience reach: Accessibility allows you to reach more people, including those with lower literacy levels. In Australia, this is crucial as 40% of adults have low literacy skills.
• Better engagement and results: Clear, accessible communication ensures people understand what you need them to do. This applies to everyone – from government agencies and businesses to community organisations. Accessible communication can lead to higher sales, better compliance and increased community engagement.
• More findable: Accessible content will improve search engine optimisation (SEO) and make it easier for people to find your organisation.
• Inclusive and respectful communication: When you consider the communication needs of a wide range of people, more people feel included and valued. This creates a positive, respectful relationship with your audience.
• Builds trust: Accessible communication builds trust and engagement, leading to stronger relationships with your audience. This trust is valuable for any organisation.
• Legal compliance: Making services and content accessible also means you meet legal requirements, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognises access to information as a basic human right.

How can you support accessibility in your organisation?

Creating a culture of accessibility in an organisation can be challenging, but starting with small changes can make a big difference.

• Start small: Create an Easy Read fact sheet to make information clearer and more accessible for everyone. This small step can showcase the benefits and bring others on board.
• Simplify your writing: Use plain language by avoiding long words and complex sentences. Shorter, simpler language makes your content easier for everyone to understand.
• Use visuals: Images, icons and illustrations help people understand your message more easily. Visuals also make content engaging and accessible.
• Test with your audience: Testing content directly with your audience helps you get feedback to make improvements. Regular testing ensures your communications are truly effective.
• Invest in training: Accessible communication skills are valuable for your team. Training can help staff create inclusive content and support accessibility initiatives.
• Consider accessibility from the start: Making sure you factor in accessibility requirements from the start will save your organisation money later on. It is more cost-effective to plan for and include accessibility, than it is to try and fix an inaccessible service, produce or content.
  

Need support?

We can help you reach your business goals while meeting accessibility standards. Whether you’re looking to attract more customers, increase compliance or engage a wider community, we can help you connect with diverse audiences, including people with disability, older people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culturally diverse communities.

With over 15 years of experience in accessible communications, our team of experts in Australia can support you. To discuss how we can help you make your communications more accessible and impactful, please contact us.