October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post is my last for NDEAM – but check out my webinar tomorrow on Accessibility Testing for Learning and Development! – and I wanted to close out the month with some really impactful TED Talks on disability inclusion in the workplace.

In no particular order, these are some superb TED Talks with a variety of perspectives on disability inclusion at work:

• Ryan Gersava – A Disability Inclusive Future of Work – from TED2022 in April 2022 – a speaker with a story close to my heart – bipolar 2 and a chronic illness! A story of overcoming disability discrimination at work to entrepreneurship by creating an online school.
• Chantel Buck – Rethinking Disabilities in the Workplace – from TEDxEustis in January 2018
• Tiffany Yu – How to Help Employees with Disabilities Thrive – from The Way We Work video series in April 2023 – let’s talk about the disability employment gap, and three things every workplace can do to welcome people with disabilities.
• Delaina Parrish – Why Businesses Must Be Fearless with Disability Inclusion – from TEDxUF in October 2020
• Hannah Barham Brown – Disability and Work: Let’s Stop Wasting Talent – from TEDxExeter in April 2019
• Ben Trockman – Workforce of Ability – from TEDxEvansville in October 2017 – a journey of losing and regaining independence, from a traumatic teenage incident to working life as a disabled individual, supporting others with disabilities along the way.

Also check out the TED Topic area on Disability for playlists, articles, and more talks on disability.

That’s all for NDEAM, but the blog will continue! Stay tuned for recaps of some of my speaking events, study guides for the CPACC and Section 508 Trusted Tester exams, and so much more.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some great articles I’ve read lately on accessibility and disability inclusion in human resources. (Did you miss the article roundup on learning and development?)

• 5 Ways to Improve Accessibility at Work (HRCI) – With a few ideas you may not have considered! Those five ideas are: Conduct an Accessibility Audit, Create Intersectional Policies and Processes, Move from Compliance to Culture, Build a Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG), and Promote People With Disabilities to Leadership Roles.
• The Business Case for Implementing an Accessibility Strategy (HRCI) – Need to make the business case for accessibility at your place of work? Consider these three areas: Controlling Costs and Risks, Expanding Access to Talent, and Improving Productivity through Universal Design.
• Developing an Accessible Workplace – A complete toolkit from SHRM on designing and supporting and accessible workplace – with resources and strategies for all areas of human resources, including attraction, recruiting, interviewing, accommodations, performance management, retention, and more – including usable templates!
• Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities (Harvard Business Review) – A survey found that the majority of employees with disabilities don’t feel their workplace culture is committed to helping them thrive and succeed. This article offers five steps that organizations can take to make people with disabilities feel safe and included so that they will be willing to disclose their conditions.
• Bonus! IT Accessibility Policy Framework – Human Resources Management – A rather complete guide to meeting Section 508 Standards for HR technology procurement and management. This was such a neat resource to find! (And I can’t wait to share more about my Section 508 studies!)

I hope you found these perspectives as interesting as I did! Stay tuned for the next post with some final resources for NDEAM.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some great articles I’ve read lately on accessibility and disability inclusion in learning and development.

• Accessibility.com Blog – How to Make Employee Training Accessible – Quick, practical advice on improving employee training by adding captions, sign language interpreters, and most importantly flexibility into your learning and development programs.
• eLearning Industry – Accessibility In eLearning: The Importance Of Creating Equal L&D Opportunities – Some strategies and perspectives on using accessibility as an inclusion-promoting effort towards company DEI initiatives. Bonus, if you’re willing to trade your business contact information, there is a free download at the end of the article for an ebook called “Creating eLearning For All: How To Design Accessible And Interactive Learning.”
• TrainingZone – How to Make Learning and Development More Inclusive for Disabled People – A perspective from across the pond with some relevant statistics about disability in the workplace in the United Kingdom. How do we remove barriers and promote inclusion?
• SHRM – Accessible Learning Design: Reaching All Learners Where They Are – An important focus on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 Guidelines, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.x). The most important takeaway is to start!

I hope you found these perspectives as interesting as I did! Stay tuned for the next post with some great articles about accessibility and disability inclusion in Human Resources.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features a new documentary on disabilities in the workplace that you won’t want to miss!

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of this documentary on disabilities in the workplace from WorkingNation called “Breaking Barriers: Embracing Disabilities in the Workforce.”

The full documentary video is embedded below, but also check out their YouTube playlist for additional interviews.

Breaking Barriers features two discussions lead by journalist Hari Sreenivasan and includes:

• Taryn Mackenzie Williams, assistant secretary for disability employment policy at the U.S. Department of Labor
• Hiren Shukla, global head of the Neuro-Diverse Center of Excellence at EY
• Matt Ater, vice president of business development for Vispero, which provides assistive technology for the visually impaired
• Heather Dicks, Georgia Tech’s Excel program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Katie Hearn, an Atlanta Braves employee who lost her sight
• Beth Keeton, executive director at Griffin-Hammis Associates, focused on alternate paths to the workforce for people with disabilities
• Ilond Zombil Tshipau, vice president at the Bobby Dodd Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people with differing abilities

I loved the passionate stories of lived experiences – what people with disabilities in the workplace are really facing when finding or keeping employment. Some of my favorite moments and quotes:

• Does diversity include accessibility? Trends are moving that way. “Technology is a key piece of creating workforce inclusion.”
• “The challenge for most people with disabilities is that they don’t want to say they have one.”
• Masking vs. Bringing whole self to work
• “The disability population is an amazing entry into universal design.”
• Innovation and resilience – disability key strengths
• Dealing with the Social Security cliff

I hope you found this documentary as valuable as I did! Stay tuned for the next few posts with some great articles about accessibility and disability inclusion in different fields.

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Join me for the Inclusive Pixelation finale to National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) with a FREE webinar on accessibility testing for learning and development!

Register now for the session on October 31, 2023 at 4p PST / 7p EST via Zoom.

Audience: This webinar is intended for anyone who is involved in the creation, delivery, or management of learning and development materials, including instructional designers, developers, trainers, and learning and development leaders.

Description: Accessibility testing is the process of ensuring that digital content is usable by people with disabilities. This is important for all types of digital content, but it is especially important for learning and development materials, as everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow. In this session, you will learn about the importance of accessibility testing for learning and development and how to start accessibility testing in your own organization. Learn how to evaluate and remediate the learning materials you already have, like eLearning modules and PDFs! We will cover the following topics:

• What is accessibility testing?
• Why is accessibility testing important for learning and development?
• How to get started with accessibility testing
• Common accessibility problems in learning and development materials
• Resources for accessibility testing

Facilitator: Britne Jenke, CPACC, CPTD, SHRM-SCP, an expert in learning and development and accessibility with over 15 years of experience.

Accessibility: This webinar will be held via Zoom with live captions and a transcript. Registrants will be provided with access to the recorded webinar following the live session.

Register today to learn more about accessibility testing for learning and development!

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some of my favorite blogs and newsletters on accessibility and disability inclusion.

I love blogs and newsletters for the timely drip of information into my inbox or feed. What are you reading that I could add to my list?

Blogs

• The Disability INclusion Blog – Disability:IN is a leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion, with a network of over 500 corporations that expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. This blog has been publishing for several years and has topic categories like DEI Best Practices, Etiquette, and Neurodiversity.
• Disability Scoop – Founded in 2008, Disability Scoop is the nation’s largest news organization devoted to covering developmental disabilities. With daily coverage of a wide range of disability topics, the blog is a comprehensive collection of the issues that matter to the disability community.
• Meryl.net Blog – Meryl Evans blogs about accessibility, inclusion, and lived experiences as a person with disabilities, and shares allyship and advocacy resources regularly.
• Sheri Byrne-Haber’s Blog on Medium – Sheri Byrne-Haber is a prominent global subject matter expert in the fields of disability and accessibility in the business and educational settings. She is best known for launching digital accessibility programs at multiple companies, as well as consulting on government accessibility. In her blog, she she summarizes legal cases and issues facing people implementing accessibility programs.

Newsletters

• Accessibility Weekly (archives) – A weekly dose of web accessibility to help you bring it into your everyday work. The philosophy behind this newsletter is that anyone who works on the web can make accessibility happen one change at a time – and to do that, you have to learn a bit each week.
• WebAIM Newsletter (archives) – The WebAIM newsletter shares monthly news and updates on web accessibility issues, including featured articles, monthly tips, resources, and questions from WebAIM’s discussion forum.
• Accessibility Matters by IAAP (archives) – IAAP’s free monthly newsletter provides a digest of global curated news clips that highlight issues and developments affecting the accessibility industry. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen this newsletter updated this year, but the archives have a wealth of resources available!

I also recently started my own newsletter on LinkedIn called Making Work Accessible! The October issues are focused on NDEAM resources, with much more planned for the future.

I hope you found some new reading material with this post! Stay tuned for the next few posts with some great articles about accessibility and disability inclusion in different fields.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some of my favorite podcasts on accessibility and disability inclusion.

I’ve honestly been late to the podcast bandwagon (I’m more of a reader, did you miss my post on books?), so most of these resources are new on my radar, but I have found some wonderful podcasts about accessibility and disability inclusion in recent months to round out my own knowledge. I’d love to hear what you’re listening to as well!

• Disability Inclusion: Required by Disability & Philanthropy Forum with host Emily Ladau
  The Disability & Philanthropy Forum mobilizes philanthropy to dismantle ableism by increasing funding for disability inclusion, rights, and justice; amplifying the leadership of disabled people in the philanthropic sector; and educating philanthropy to build a culture of inclusion. This podcast shares excellent resources on civic engagement and disability inclusion.
  • A great episode to start with: Incorporating Disability into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work with guest Catarina Rivera

• Pushing Forward with Alycia with host Alycia Anderson
  Alycia explores trending topics around DEI and disability, digital accessibility, workplace inclusion, disabling ableism. She shares timely stories like airlines and disability discrimination, celebrating Disability Pride Month in July, plus stories of resilience and success against all odds.
  • A great episode to start with: Barrier-Free Design with guest Maegan Blau

• Normalize It! The Business of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion with host Cam Beaudoin
  Normalizing the business case for accessibility, this podcast allows leaders in the space to share their stories and make forward progress in this important field. With down-to-earth stories and engaging presentations, Cam connects with audiences and leaves them with a newfound confidence in their ability to handle the complexities of digital accessibility.
  • A great episode to start with: Influential Advocacy: How to Get Stakeholder Buy-In

• ATD DEI Podcast with host Jes Thompson (formerly Eliza Blanchard)
  A robust podcast specific to the learning and development industry, this series from ATD features conversations with diversity, equity, and inclusion experts who share their insight on how talent development professionals can advance DEI at work. Many episodes touch on ways adult learning professionals can make their work more inclusive. (This one’s not a new find – I was interviewed by Eliza in 2021!)
  • A great episode to start with: Britne Jenke on Inclusive Design (Shameless plug for my own episode!)

I hope you have a few new podcasts for your education and enjoyment – and don’t forget to share your favorites! Stay tuned for the next post on blogs and newsletters about accessibility and disability inclusion.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some of my favorite books on accessibility and disability inclusion.

I’ve read the books below to expand my own knowledge – but there are so many more on my reading list! I’d love to hear what books you’re reading on accessibility and disability inclusion as well.

• Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau
  • Demystifying Disability is an easy-to-access handbook on important disability issues you need to know about, including how to appropriately think, talk, and ask about disability; recognizing and avoiding ableism; practicing good disability etiquette; ensuring accessibility becomes standard practice; appreciating disability history and identity; and identifying and speaking up about disability stereotypes in media. Authored by disability rights advocate, speaker, and writer Emily Ladau, this practical, intersectional guide offers all readers a welcoming place to understand disability as part of the human experience.
• Accessibility for Everyone by Laura Kalbag
  • We make the web more inclusive for everyone, everywhere, when we design with accessibility in mind. This book guides you through the accessibility landscape: understanding disability and impairment challenges; recognizing important laws and guidelines; and learning how to plan for, evaluate, and test accessible design. Leverage tools and techniques like clear copywriting, well-structured IA, meaningful HTML, and thoughtful design to create a solid set of best practices. Whether you’re new to accessibility or a seasoned professional, this book will help you get on the path to designing with accessibility and inclusion in mind.
• Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind by Regine M. Gilbert
  • As a creator in the modern digital era, your aim should be to make products that are inclusive of all people. Technology has increased connection and information equality around the world. To continue its impact, access and usability of such technology must be made a priority, and there is no better place to get started than with this book. Learn the moral, ethical, and high level legal reasons for accessible design; tools and best practices for user research and web developers; the different types of designs for disabilities on various platforms; web compliance guidelines; and testing products and usability best practices. Created for practitioners of product design, product development, content, and design across many disciplines.
• Designing Accessible Learning Content: A Practical Guide to Applying Best-Practice Accessibility Standards to L&D Resources by Susi Miller
  • This is a detailed guide on accessibility for anyone involved in the design, creation, development or testing of online learning content. It offers essential, in-depth background information such as a focus on disability, an overview of assistive technology and an exploration of the case for digital accessibility. It provides detailed guidance on how to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines making it essential reading for L&D professionals, instructional designers and course developers who need to comply with legal accessibility requirements. This book also demonstrates how creating accessible learning content can improve usability and provide the best possible learning experience for everyone.
    Are you looking for more about Accessibility for Online Learning? Don’t miss my Accessibility for eLearning Checklist and my Linktr.ee of additional resources!

I hope you have a few new books for your reading list! We’ve covered books and courses, so stay tuned for the next post on podcasts.

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some of my favorite courses on disability inclusion. (Did you miss my post on disability inclusion courses on LinkedIn Learning? Click here to read more!)

I’ve taken the courses below to expand my own knowledge on disability inclusion.

• Diversity & Inclusion for HR Certificate – eCornell: This self-paced certificate program includes a wonderful elective course called Workplace Disability Inclusion, as well as the required courses Countering Bias in the Workplace for HR and Fostering an Inclusive Climate. I especially loved the Workplace Disability Inclusion course for its practical advice on maximizing workplace disability inclusion and minimizing disability discrimination across the employment process. The course makes the business case for aligning disability inclusion with a company’s strategic human-capital, diversity, and customer-service imperatives and looks at the implications of effective HR policies and practices in the recruitment and hiring process, career development and retention initiatives, and compensation and benefits programs.
• Employing Abilities at Work – SHRM Foundation: This certificate provides actionable knowledge and tools HR professionals, people managers and business leaders need to recruit, hire, and retain individuals with disabilities. Made up of seven modules, the program takes participants through the organizational life cycle of employing people with disabilities and establishes baseline knowledge of how accommodation resources can operate and shows how HR departments can adapt their hiring practices to fit individual needs.
• Section 508: What is It and Why is It Important to You? – U.S. General Services Administration: This course is designed to describe what Section 508 is and why it is important to make Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products accessible to people with disabilities, and serves as the introduction and prerequisite course to the Trusted Tester program. Learn about the job-related responsibilities and available resources needed to meet Section 508 requirements, with practical examples for project managers, programmers, instructional designers, or personnel responsible for procuring, buying, or maintaining electronic information and technology products and services.

That’s a lot of courses! What else can we do to learn about accessibility and disability inclusion? Stay tuned for my next post on books about these topics!

The post NDEAM Resources: Courses on Disability Inclusion appeared first on Inclusive Pixelation.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! All month long, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite resources on accessibility and disability inclusion in the workplace.

This post features some of my favorite courses on accessibility. (Did you miss my post on accessibility courses on LinkedIn Learning? Click here to read more!)

I’ve taken the courses below to expand my own knowledge on accessibility.

• Accessibility: How to Design for All – Interaction Design Foundation: By understanding that accessibility is about more than just optimizing code, you’ll find you can build it into your design process to ensure you are taking a disability advocacy approach and keeping the focus on your users throughout the development process. This course will help you approach accessibility from all angles. You’ll gain practical, hands-on skills that’ll enable you to assess and optimize for common accessibility issues, as well as place an emphasis on the quality of the user experience by avoiding classic mistakes. You’ll also gain the knowledge to conduct effective accessibility testing by working with users with disabilities.
• Introduction to Digital Accessibility – Interaction Design Foundation: Most of the internet is still inaccessible to those who use assistive technology to access the web. As a creator or contributor to developing a digital experience, you can change that. By creating usable experiences for people at the margins, we end up creating better experiences for everyone.
• Microsoft Accessibility Fundamentals: Technology can empower people to achieve more, help strengthen education opportunities, and make the workplace more inviting and inclusive for people with disabilities. Accessibility and inclusion are essential to empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. This program features several courses that cover accessibility in Microsoft products, for both users and content creators.
• Accessibility of eLearning – OpenLearn: This free course introduces the challenges for disabled students who may use computers in different ways when taking part in eLearning or may need alternative teaching methods. It covers the technology and techniques used by disabled students, the adjustments to teaching methods that might be reasonable, design decisions that affect the accessibility of eLearning tools, and strategies for evaluation.

What about disability inclusion in the workplace? Stay tuned for my next post on courses about disability inclusion.

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