3 Easy-to-Implement Accessibility Technology Tools for Your Workplace

Did you know? More than 6 million Canadians aged 15 and over have a disability. [1]

Building businesses that act on the advancement and inclusion of accessibility supports a barrier-free workplace where employees continue to feel safe and welcome.

Accessibility opportunities are all around us, and even the smallest changes can positively impact someone you work with. Accessibility technology tools have expanded over the last several years, here we share three easy-to-implement options that your organization can take advantage of today. These are just a few options that you can make within the workplace that are little to no cost!

1. Microsoft 365 – Microsoft has a few accessibility tools that are easy to implement. Different tools are available based on your needs, including vision, hearing, neurodiversity, learning, mobility, and mental health. A good first step is their Accessibility Checker, available in Outlook, which will help make your content more accessible for people with disabilities to read and edit. You can set your prompts to help remind you to run the checker before sending an email. The Accessibility Checker is also available for Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and OneNote notebooks. Learn more about Microsoft 365 Accessibility here.
    
2. Zoom Meetings and Webinars – Ensuring that the needs of all your meeting and webinar participants are met is made easier with some of the tools offered through Zoom. Ensure your account has enabled captioning and transcripts. A live transcript is an excellent tool for during and post-meeting/webinars. There are also a number of video options that can support accessibility, including spotlighting your language interpreter. Display and keyboard accessibility is also available, along with screen reader support in your settings. Learn more about Zoom Accessibility here.
    
3. Accessibility fonts – Choosing fonts that are easy to read is one step, but adjusting your font sizes can also have a big impact. Consider sizing when sending emails, developing policy documents or performance review forms, as well as presentations. Typography, typeface, and font selection are all things to take into consideration! Check out CNIB’s Clear Print Accessibility Guidelines for recommendations on size, margins and more.

There are many areas in the workplace that still need change in order to be completely accessible for all, but prioritizing digital accessibility can have a large impact on many in our current hybrid world of work.

Visit the Government of Canada website to learn more about the Accessible Canada Act and National AccessAbility Week , including events, resources, learning opportunities, accessibility funding and more.