Leading Laterally: Accessibility from the Bottom Up

Date & Time

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 11:20 AM PDT  

Location

Grand GH  

Description

In many organizations, digital accessibility policy starts with an individual’s interest & dedication, rather than top-down intervention by leadership. Even when explicit accessibility policies exist, implementation and enforcement often fall on a small number of team members who are not in the workplace hierarchy above the people they are requesting changes of.

When accessibility advocates ask for improvements at the "last minute", or when colleagues "just need to get this published", it can often feel like an uphill battle to implement accessibility. This is especially true when someone has no official authority. Given all these constraints, what’s the best method to connect with people in different departments, to encourage and empower them to make accessibility changes?

This is where strategies for leading laterally come in. Using case studies from a higher education setting, this session will help attendees to work with colleagues to improve accessibility. Focusing both on coworkers at their same level and above them in hierarchies to get policies adopted and go beyond the bare minimum of accessibility. From how to build rapport, when to compromise, and how to hold your ground, this session will provide specific techniques for implementing accessibility in an organization.

This Presentation Link is provided by the Presenter(s) and not hosted by the Center on Disabilities at CSUN. The Center on Disabilities has confirmed, as of March 27, 2024, content linked is relevant to the presentation, but has not been reviewed for accessibility nor will the Center on Disabilities attempt to remediate any accessibility issues in the linked content. Please contact the Presenter(s) with any accessibility concerns.

 

Audience

• Higher Education
• Information & Communications Technology
• Administration & Business Support

Audience Level

Intermediate  

Session Summary (Abstract)

Accessibility advocates are often siloed within organizational hierarchies. Rather than letting this define our work, we can leverage this situation to our advantage. Using soft power, we can promote accessibility without leading a whole department.  

Primary Topic

Leadership & Strategy  

Secondary Topics

• Digital Accessibility
• Education
• Information & Communications Technology (ICT)
• Web

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenter

• Brian McNeilly
  University of California, Office of the President

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