Employment conference to cover digital accessibility

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Monday, 22 June 2015 15:26pm

One of the most powerful practical approaches to assist people with a disability in becoming self-sufficient and managing their needs is through helping them into employment. Specialist disability employment services are the usual first place that both employers and people with a disability turn to in that job-hunting quest. Whilst the person may be experienced, willing and able to take on the workplace, the workplace also needs to accommodate their needs.

Australia's Disability Employment Conference - Sydney 2015

This issue is also being considered as part of the Federal Government inquiry into the barriers against employment of older people and people with a disability. One of those barriers is understanding how to deal with digital needs, particularly looking at how mainstream technology and services are able to help. 

Media Access Australia CEO Alex Varley will be explaining the readily-available digital solutions at Australia’s Disability Employment conference in Sydney on 19 August 2015.

Entitled ‘Digital Accessibility – The Quick Wins’, the presentation will look at practical solutions to digital accessibility in the workplace that can be implemented quickly and easily. His presentation will focus on 6 key areas:

  1. Technology – what accessibility features are built into existing office equipment and software?
  2. Accessible documents – what are they and how can you produce them?
  3. Websites – external and internal, what are your strategies for managing accessibility?
  4. Alternative media – ensuring that social media, video and e-communications are accessible.
  5. Outsourcing – how do you ensure that digital suppliers deliver what you need?
  6. Organisational accessibility – it’s not a checklist, but a way of doing business.

“Media Access Australia’s approach is always about practical accessibility,” said Varley.

“What I will be doing in this presentation to those agencies who help employers connect with disabled people is show them a series of quick wins that use systems and products that they already have. It’s about getting started and focusing on improvement, rather than being bogged down in the first instance trying to comply with standards and regulations.”

As Australia’s only independent not-for-profit organisation devoted to increasing access to media for people with a disability, Media Access Australia works with public – and private – sector organisations to improve their digital accessibility. Through its digital accessibility services, Media Access Australia supplies professional services to assist organisations to get started in properly managing digital accessibility.

Media Access Australia also helps increase inclusion through its thought leadership and research in important areas such as social media accessibility, service provision for people with disabilities and cloud computing and mobile accessibility.

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