How to Bridge Different Access Needs
Building an inclusive workplace means meeting the technology access needs of all your employees. When considering the needs of different employees with disabilities, however, that charge may seem challenging.
To assist on this front, the ODEP-funded Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) offers guidance on “How to Bridge Different Access Needs.” This resource shares examples of differing employee accessibility needs and offers suggestions for managing them. Its key piece of advice? “Instead of viewing access needs as competing, try reframing accessibility as an ongoing practice that staff accomplish together.”
For example, the guidance explores two workplace scenarios in which an employee with one type of disability has a different technology requirement than another. It then lists potential solutions for bridging those differences, noting that all parties should work together to find solutions and balance their needs.
The resource concludes with a list of ongoing best practices for mitigating different access needs, such as promoting accommodations and a culture of inclusion, encouraging creativity and open dialogues, and procuring flexible workplace technologies that work for everyone.
To read the article, visit PEAT’s website.