The document emphasizes the importance of digital accessibility as a crucial component of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can engage with organizations. It outlines the legal requirements for public accommodations and the role of diversity and inclusion managers in promoting accessibility within hiring practices. The document also provides strategies for integrating accessibility into DEI initiatives, highlighting the need for awareness, early integration of accessibility measures, and consideration of non-visible disabilities.

1. Degital Accessibility

2. Why Accessibility Is A Critical Part Of Diversity Equity
And Inclusion
When you think of the term accessibility, it refers to ensuring everyone with all types of abilities can
fully engage with your organization. While there may be some rules about accessibility to follow, they
are the right thing to do. Accessibility does not relate to only physical accommodations like ramps,
automatic doors, and accessible restrooms. With the internet boom and everyone turning online for
their information and needs, digital accessibility is also quickly growing. While ensuring digital
compliance takes time, resources, and knowledge, we can help you if you want to make your
inaccessible website accessible. ADA Site Compliance is the #1 source for all ADA website
compliance issues, with an expert team well-versed in all the legal and regulatory requirements for
compliance.
What is Digital Accessibility?
Digital accessibility includes designing and developing a digital world for everyone to access.
Everyone, whatever their age, ability, or means of access to an inclusive world, should be able to
access websites, mobile apps, and any digital experiences. Accessibility is not necessarily a part of
the design process. It is when barriers are created, making it difficult for people with impairments to
engage and interact as usual, that makes it a requirement.
Why is Digital Accessibility Important in the Company Hiring
Practices?
Digital accessibility is essential while hiring because if not, you lose out on connecting with a large
part of the population. Digital accessibility lets you provide equal access and opportunity to your
customers and potential and existing employees. Besides, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requires all public accommodations, including websites, to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Even Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that people with impairments be able to access
federal agencies’ electronic and information technology (EIT).

3. Who is a Diversity and Inclusion Manager, and What Do They Do?
A DEI manager oversees a company’s accessibility and diversity efforts and initiatives. They should
have a bachelor’s HR degree or a related area specializing in diversity and inclusion. DEI managers
should know EEO laws and regulations and have experience planning and managing D&I programs
and initiatives. Their myriad job responsibilities include:
● Evaluating the company’s current DEI strategy and culture
● Advising employees about the best practices for a welcoming work environment
● Creating relevant conferences, training programs, and workshops
● Investigating concerns on discrimination, sexual orientation, or harassment
● Measuring, tracking, and communicating DE&I performance
● Building a pipeline of future volunteer leaders
How your Digital Information and Experiences are a Part of DEI
Initiatives
Like most organizations and people, your audio, visual, or text content is most likely found on your
website. Customers will visit your company or website for information, to make registrations, or buy
things. So, they will go elsewhere if they cannot access the information they need. Besides, ensuring
your website is accessible is also part of the law, and following the WCAG ensures compliance.
Besides, you must ensure your digital information department is accessible to your current and
potential employees. Job searchers will likely visit your website looking for potential career
opportunities.
Following the best systems for workplace disability inclusion, ranging from hiring to career
development, helps. Besides, your existing employees may also want to access your business
systems, software, and other tools. Having procurement policies making access selection criteria for
vendors, software, and other tools is also helpful. Accessible hiring practices and workplace tools
help you recruit and retain talented users with impairments. Studies have proven that companies
that hire people with disabilities experience massive improvements in their everyday performances.

4. 3 Ways To Ensure Accessibility Remains a Part of Your DEI Initiatives
Unfortunately, many brands and organizations overlook disability and website access in their DEI
initiatives. Besides, some companies promoting diversity and inclusion forget impaired users’
specific needs and experiences. And this is often unintentional in most organizations. The remedy is
often nothing complicated, raising awareness and breaking some longstanding disability stigma.
These three simple steps go a long way in ensuring access remains an important part of your brand
and organization.
1. Promoting Awareness
Most of the time, brands and even DEI leaders are unaware of disability and its multiple aspects.
This lack of awareness leads to ignorance and limited appreciation of the many challenges users
with disabilities face. Creating awareness and understanding of how challenging it is for users with
disabilities to navigate the modern digital world settings go a long way toward helping organizations
adopt steps to drive accessibility in all work aspects.
2. Focus on Accessibility From the Start
Most organizations struggle with compliance mainly because they treat it as an afterthought.
Instead of implementing the necessary measures while creating their digital content, they tend to
realize they have to add them only after creating their product. This leads to additional time and
effort spent on it at an additional cost. It is even more difficult if website access is ignored and only
considered an add-on. Instead, focusing on and implementing access-related strategies from the
start makes things much easier and less complicated.
3. It is More than Visible Diversity
Usually, the visible aspects of diversity that brands emphasize, like race, sexual orientation, and
gender, are easily identifiable. As disabilities are relatively less visible, they often end up not receiving
the same attention and consideration. Besides, disabilities are not biased based on factors like age,
gender, or color and may affect anyone. This is why realizing and setting an appropriate groundwork
for broader inclusion focuses for DEI initiatives to work on will prove beneficial.

5. Getting Started With Accessibility
Things have changed in how people today conduct research, create something, work, and even
navigate through life every day. Most of these things are done using the help of digital devices and
tools. Digital accessibility is the first place to start for anyone committed to inclusion. And we here at
ADA Site Compliance can do just that, helping you in your accessibility effort. Our team of experts
practically breathes and lives web compliance.
We start by assessing how accessible and compliant you are today, locating the places needing
improvement, and then integrating the necessary strategies through your processes, policies, and
cultures. Contact ADA Site Compliance today for all your website compliance needs!
https://adasitecompliance.com/accessibility-diversity-equity-inclusion/

6. ADA Site Compliance
Website & Digital Accessibility Solutions
https://adasitecompliance.com/
8401 Lake Worth Rd
Lake Worth, FL 33467
info@adasitecompliance.com
(561) 258-9300
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