Building Accessible Communities Online
You want your online communities to serve as many people as possible, but many online community experiences are built in such a way that they exclude easy access by people with disabilities.
Join Todd Nilson and Shelby Edwards for an in-depth discussion of web-based accessibility issues with Shelby Edwards of Inclusive Communications Services.
You'll learn about:
Top issues you should immediately audit with your online community to ensure that it is accessible
Some top resources for identifying accessibility issues
Implications for new technologies like AR/VR and their impact on accessibility as text-based communities begin to become less central experiences
About Shelby Edwards
Inclusive Communication Service was the inspiration of two interpreters, Tyler Herron and Shelby Edwards, who developed from students to professionals in New York City. Cultivating a knowledge of minority-sensitive and multiple disability interpreting, the colleagues recognized how these and other subcultural communities continued to be overlooked and overgeneralized in contemporary interpreting practices.
https://inclusiveasl.com/
Show Notes
3:17: Todd introduces Shelby and asks about Inclusive Communication Services and how she got involved. In working with deaf actors, she realized the importance of accessibility and created ICS. She wants to share the messaging that accessibility benefits everyone.
13:29: Relating accessibility to community building, Todd asks about standout issues and pet peeves. Shelby mentions giving consideration in the beginning to the platform and available options. She recommends appointing at least one person to the role of DEI and that accessibility is a good business practice.
20:26: Shelby touches on the discussion of cost around services such as live captioning. She gives actionable, small steps that can begin to build the levels of accessibility regardless of income.
30:17: Todd steers the conversation towards virtual reality and artificial intelligence considerations for accessibility. Shelby notes a worry about the speed that comes with AI. Yet another simple consideration is having a check box in a registration form for someone to check if they need accessibility services.
