What does true accessibility look like?
An accessibility policy is the ultimate approach ensuring accountability to and impact for your customers and employees. Aiming for an ethical accessibility policy approach, using the UN CRPD as starting point, your organization goes beyond minimum compliance differentiating your brand from peers.
Beneficiaries of your accessibility policy
My ethical accessibility approach is about equitable services that meet your customers’ and employees’ requirements. Working with both legal requirements. endorsed standards, as well as the UN CRPD. Consider the following:
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Accessibility of your digital infrastructuur, applying Universal Design and EN 301.549 in your digital design processes•Recognizing persons with disabilities as independent entities before the law and handeling financial affairs: financial inclusion (UN CRPD Art. 9)
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Accessibility of products and services (UN CRPD Art. 9)•Physical accessibility in your build environment supporting independent movement in the physical environment (UN CRPD Art. 9)
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Understandable information, supporting your customers making well informed choices (UN CRPD, Art. 21)•Providing equitable job opportunities with accommodations supporting persons with disabilities in senior roles within your organization (UN CRPD Art. 27)
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Active involvement of the disability community (by internal representatives, or local interest organizations) in design, development, and roll-out of the accessibility policy/compliance program
These are just a few topics your business can address with a carefully drafted accessibility policy using my personally designed policy framework.Beyond persons with disabilities, accessibility benefits many others:
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Persons ageing, with an increasing population over 55 and their strong spending power a market worth pursuing Persons facing illiteracy in various forms:
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General illiteracy, research shows 20-25% of the people living in Europe experience illiteracy,
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Digital illiteracy, EU reseach shows 32% of the Europeans lack basic digital skills in a fast digitalizing environment
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Financial illiteracy, EU research shows 64% of the people in Europe have medium, and 18% a low financial illiteracy level
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Digital financial illiteracy, EU research shows only 36% of the European people feel fully comfortable with digital banking services
Accessibility revolves around POUR: Perceivable (can you receive information, services, products in a way you understand?), Operable (can you use it?), Understandable (do you know what is expected?), and Robust (fit for long-term use).
