Wednesday, August 23, 2017 1:30 – 2:45 pm Tweets and Technology Wednesday, August 23, 2017 1:30 – 2:45 pm

Panel Participants Moderator Oz Mondejar, VP of Talent Management, Mission & Advocacy, Partners HealthCare/Spaulding Rehabilitation Network Panelists Simon Dermer, Managing Director eSSENTIAL Accessibility Daniel Sullivan, Vice President of Sales AudioEye Jennifer Wilburn, Accessibility Consultant Florida Blue

ENHANCE THE DIGITAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

PROJECT A DISABILTY-FRIENDLY DIGITAL PRESENCE Prominently displaying a recognizable and interactive icon on your homepage signals your organizations commitment to serving customers with disabilities. Against this backdrop, individuals would be more inclined to engage with your brand.

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE To ensure that a brand offers a fully inclusive digital experience that is welcoming to all: Feature assistive technology on your homepage through a recognizable interactive icon Follow the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 A, AA) Signal your commitment to customers with disabilities through inclusive messaging

INCLUSIVE MESAGING By placing an interactive icon on your website, brands have the opportunity to create a unique experience for people with disabilities. On the brand disability channel, customers can: Download assistive technology for free Explore career opportunities Learn more about the brand, initiatives and special programs promoting inclusion

THE POWER OF ADVERTISING The key to connecting with people with disabilities is signaling – subtle or not – that the brand experience includes them. It is important to understand that this market is hungry to be a part of brand experiences of all kinds. In 2014, eSSENTIAL Accessibility worked with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to inaugurate the “People with Disabilities” category in the Multicultural Excellence Award. Here are some examples of advertising done right: Trust Your Power Duracell, 2014 Unlikely Best Friends Kleenex, 2015 Sledge Hockey Gatorade, 2014 British Intelligence Jaguar, 2016

Audience

Usability

A Usability Perspective Jen Wilburn, Accessibility Consultant, Florida Blue   What features do disability-friendly websites have? How to effectively establish and use customer advisory boards and other feedback strategies? What strategies can reduce barriers and to create disability-friendly social media outlets?

Features of Accessible Websites WCAG Compliance! Location of resources/links for PWD easily located and made a priority on the page Disability inclusion language and commitment statements (perhaps images that convey support of PWD) Various ways to contact someone in the company to cover range of barriers (e.g. chat, email, TTY/TTD, in-person meetings, video relay, etc.) A direct method of contact that will provide a solution within 3 tiers max.

[image description: screenshot of the floridablue [image description: screenshot of the floridablue.com homepage with the cursor hovering over a drop down link for web accessibility features for members.]

[image description: screenshot of the web accessibility resources on the floridablue.com website; the content includes the company mission, commitment to inclusion of PWDs, standard of compliance, and a direct email contact to ask for assistance]

Establishing Customer Advisory Boards and other Feedback Strategies Who should be on the Advisory Boards? Disability-focused ERG members, Marketing and Communications, Customer Experience, Employee Experience, IT (create a diverse pool). Conduct routine PWD member surveys (if known disclosure) after contact or in general Conduct focus-group studies with PWD members (including employees!) to gather data for improvements Collaborate with community partners and other PWD affiliated agencies/businesses to benchmark inclusion efforts

Social Media Accessibility Since most social media websites are not inherently accessible, what can companies do to remove barriers for PWDs? Make your contact information available on your social media account page. Have content available through more than one channel (follow your twitter by receiving an email). Provide links or contact information to official social media support and accessibility teams. Know Sec 508 & WCAG 2.0 and periodically test your content for accessibility. Alt text images and the content on the images (twitter has an image description feature, including in the app on phones). Ensure videos have captioning and audio transcription option links. Indicate a link in a post as a photo, video or audio file (e.g. [PIC], [VIDEO], [AUDIO]). Are you using a Social Media Management Platform with Accessibility features? Resource: https://www.digitalgov.gov/resources/federal-social-media-accessibility-toolkit-hackpad/

[image description: screenshot of mobile Facebook app of a Florida Blue recruiting post with image and alt text shown.]

[image description: screenshot of social media management platform for a Florida Blue twitter post]

QUESTIONS? Tweak friends and family > remove number