Our highly experienced Publishing Manager, Fiona McParland, spoke at a Procurex Scotland Conference about the topic of inclusivity within publishing and how no-one should miss out on information due to a disability.
Accessibility challenges can be faced by everyone and not just those with a permanent impairment. You could have a temporary disablement if you’ve broken your arm, or it could even be situational, for example, if you’re holding a baby.
In 2024, 19% of people in Scotland have declared a long-term health condition or disability.
The above statistic equates to over 1 million people in Scotland alone – and that’s just the people who have actually declared it – so it shows how important it is to ensure your content is as inclusive as it can be, as it affects a lot of the population. Not only that but in addition to ethical considerations, there are also the legal regulations that need to be followed which are only becoming more stringent.
When publishing content you should be considering these three things:
- Accessibility – removing barriers to create equivalent user experiences for all
- Usability – experiences should be effective, efficient and satisfying
- Inclusion – experiences that are usable by as wide an audience is possible
Often people concentrate on making a website accessible but forget about the content that is being published on that website which also needs to pass certain WCAG guidelines for it to be deemed inclusive.
APS’s five-step model
We’ve created an easy to follow process to help you break down your communications so that the output is as inclusive as possible:
- Context – why are you publishing this piece of content?
- Conception – what’s the best way to get the message across?
- Content – how are you going to make it accessible?
- Communication – what channels are you going to use?
- Curation – how will you maintain your content?
To find out more about how to create a culture of accessibility within your organisation and how APS can help you stay compliant with complex accessibility regulations, please reach out to [email protected].
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