Simulation Builds Accessibility Awareness

Participants in the Global Accessibility Awareness Day simulation received helpful tips to share. Original photo.

According to the Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, about 1 in 5 Americans have some form of disability, and 1 in 10 are severely disabled.  As these numbers continue to rise, it will become even more critical for us to know first-hand how people with a disability experience our digital services.   We often say that our services are accessible — but as managers of these services, do we really know what they’re experiencing?

You can learn about how your government agency should comply with accessibility requirements from HowTo.gov’s section on Accessibility, recent Digital Gov University accessibility classes on-demand, or Section508.gov.

To raise awareness,  GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies held an event May 9 to show how people with disabilities access digital info, perform tasks, and deal with inaccessible information.  The event was part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day and included:

• Asking passersby to select a disability type or temporary injury.
• Using a prop to simulate that disability or injury (string to tie back a hand, ear muffs, blindfold, tube that limits vision, etc.)
• Having participants try to use a government website, watch a video, or perform an everyday task.
• Debriefing afterward to share tips on the importance of accessibility in GSA and government digital information.

Participants then received confirmation that they’d been “accessified,” as seen in the image above, and received more information on how they can continue to promote awareness within their agency and across their networks.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a community-driven event, with the goal of raising awareness of digital accessibility.