Asking the Right Questions on Accessibility: The Five W's

Pina is an internationally recognized speaker on accessibility, strategist, integration specialist and entrepreneur who helps businesses achieve inclusion through diversity, accessibility and leadership. Fluently versed in project and organizational frameworks, Pina confidently navigates through the complexity of business processes, environments and different business cultures. She works as an Accessibility Strategist and Business Integration at Aequum Global Access Inc.

  Communications Management   Organizational Culture  

Web accessibility is top of mind for most businesses these days—the practice of making a website accessible for people of various abilities and disabilities. The goal is providing equal access and equal opportunity to everyone.

The same thinking must also be applied in the design of products, devices, services and environments, helping in the removal of barriers faced by persons with disabilities (PWDs) interacting with any web or online channel.

Project managers—as leaders and accessibility champions—can play a key role in making this possible. When scoping accessibility needs for a large, multi-layered organization, it’s important to ask the right questions about accessibility early on in the project development process. The development of a typical checklist is helpful, but we must go further.

Begin by incorporating the “five W’s” in your client communications strategy for accessibility and inclusion.

The “Why” of defining the problem
Study organizational structure and how well accessibility is diffused company-wide, including the existence of an accessibility statement on the website and a center of excellence. Also, examine how relevant activities are being done today—and ascertain the role you may play in helping a company achieve its goals.

Frequently, the teams you may be interacting with don&…

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