The Potential of Accessible Workplaces: Top 5 Inclusive Tech Tools to Improve Accessibility
Technology has the potential to be a great equaliser, building accessible workplaces, and facilitating access and participation for everyone. We often talk about innovation in terms of speed and efficiency, but one of the most incredible things about technology is its capacity to provide accessible solutions that also help remove barriers in the workplace.
It has the power to create an accessible workplace that ensures people with disabilities or varying needs are not limited by physical, technological or attitudinal barriers. With advancements in assistive technologies, individuals with disabilities can now have more equal opportunities and be more supported in their roles. The many tech tools out there today assist in providing necessary accommodations, such as screen readers, voice recognition software, captioning services and ergonomic devices, which can enhance the accessibility and inclusivity of work environments.
The good news is that equipping your team with accessible technology doesn't have to break the bank. These are practical, cost-effective tools that can add to an inclusive culture and dramatically enhance the work experience for disabled employees, as well as being easy on the pocket and big on impact!
Why Accessible Workplaces Matter
Before delving into the top five tech tools, it's paramount to understand the fundamental importance of accessibility as a non-negotiable in the contemporary workplace. Accessibility tools and technology serve as vital bridges that connect disabled individuals to an environment that might otherwise be unaccommodating. These tools extend beyond mere conveniences; they play an integral role in fostering independence, inclusivity and productivity within the workforce. In this context, inclusive employers recognise that accommodating and embracing a diverse workforce not only complies with legal requirements but also cultivates a richer and more equitable work environment for all employees.
The Empowering Potential of Technological Accessibility
Accessible technology isn't just about adhering to regulations; it's about enabling everyone to participate fully in the work environment. Whether through screen readers, text-to-speech software, closed captioning, assistive input devices or audio descriptions, a world of possibilities opens up when we commit to inclusion. You will also find that by bringing these into your organisation’s natural working rhythm, people who didn’t think they needed support or that tech could help find them useful!
Exploring these options to find what works best for you or your team members and consulting your workplace for any specific requirements is essential. By embracing these tools, we don't just comply with standards; we enrich our work culture and empower everyone to reach their fullest potential.
Tech Tools for an Inclusive and Accessible Work Environment
Creating an accessible work environment is crucial for promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities for all employees, including those with disabilities. Technology tools play a significant role in achieving this goal, especially in today's digital age. By providing necessary technology tools for people with disabilities, you can make it easier for them to perform their tasks and contribute effectively to a more inclusive workplace.
These tech tools help to eliminate barriers and ensure that everyone has equal access to information, communication and workplace resources. Organisations are also required to make reasonable adjustments based on the needs of employees with disabilities to provide a supportive work environment. Through the implementation of accessible technology tools and making necessary reasonable adjustments, you can foster an inclusive and accessible workplace for all employees. Here are some of the top tech tools to explore to meet people's different accessibility needs.
Screen Readers
Screen readers are software programs designed to vocalise digital text, which is incredibly useful for people with visual impairments. These programs help convert what's typically visual information into an auditory form.
Great options include:
JAWS (Job Access With Speech) provides comprehensive screen reading and navigation capabilities for individuals with visual impairments that prevent them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse, offering a highly customisable and efficient user experience in accessing and interacting with digital content.
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free, open-source screen reader that provides accessibility for visually impaired users on Windows platforms, promoting inclusivity and affordability.
Apple's VoiceOver distinguishes itself as a gesture-based screen reader for visually impaired users across its ecosystem of devices and applications, giving audible descriptions of what’s on the screen and ensuring a seamless and integrated user experience.
While each has unique features, they strive to make digital landscapes navigable through auditory cues.
Text-to-Speech Software
While screen readers benefit those who can't see the text, text-to-speech software caters to those with difficulties related to reading or writing. These tools translate written language into spoken words, providing a complementary avenue for digesting digital content. It’s not just those with visual impairments who find this auditory feature helpful. Those who learn better through hearing something read out to them, such as certain people who have dyslexia or ADHD, can also find that having text read out allows for better engagement and understanding.
Among the popular options are:
NaturalReader, with a wide range of natural-sounding voices as well as a user-friendly interface, is exceptionally accessible and versatile for various applications.
Balabolka offers a wide range of customizable voices and the ability to save spoken text as audio files in various formats, making it a versatile and user-friendly tool for converting text into speech.
Read Aloud, which differs in voice options, reading speed, and file format compatibility, is an accessible and versatile tool for converting text into spoken words.
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning is a game-changer for people with hearing impairments. These textual overlays appear on video webinars and can even be activated during meetings and conference calls. Essentially, they transcribe spoken content into written form, ensuring that auditory information is accessible to all.
You can add your own captions to video using:
CapCut stands out as exceptional free closed caption software, thanks to its utilisation of advanced automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology. This feature offers real-time and remarkably accurate captions in a variety of languages and dialects, ensuring content creators and viewers enjoy enhanced accessibility and inclusivity.
CaptioningStar is a great all-rounder, employing a unique combination of AI-driven accuracy and human review for closed captions, offering superior quality and compliance with accessibility standards.
CaptionMaker and MacCaption are the best for bulk captioning, offering revolutionary technology that includes robust automation features, advanced scripting capabilities and excellent compatibility with various platforms and formats, making them top choices for professional captioning needs.
Assistive Input Devices
These are hardware tools designed to help those with physical impairments interact with digital platforms. Examples of assistive input devices include adaptive keyboards, alternative pointing devices, head or eye-tracking systems and voice input software. These devices can greatly enhance the independence and productivity of individuals with disabilities, enabling them to communicate, navigate the internet and perform various tasks more efficiently. They help bridge the gap between individuals and technology, ensuring access and equality for all.
There are lots of different options, which significantly differ depending on the needs they address:
Dragon Anywhere allows you to create documents of any length and edit, format and share them directly from your mobile device by voice, with the most accurate professional-grade dictation service on the market.
Microsoft offers a comprehensive ecosystem of accessibility features, including Windows Speech Recognition and embedded voice recognition in Office applications, enhancing the accessibility and usability of its products for disabled people.
Supernormal is a free Google Chrome extension app that takes notes during your meetings using AI, tracks action items and integrates them with various tools, all compiled in a single place, making it easy to collaborate with colleagues and clients.
Audio Description
This feature is particularly beneficial for people with visual impairments. Audio description verbally narrates the visual elements of videos, providing context that wouldn't be accessible through sound alone. Many video platforms now offer audio descriptions as an integrated feature, making it easier for everyone to consume multimedia content fully.
Here’s a great article on best practice for recording and including audio descriptions.
Tailoring Tech to Individual Needs
It's crucial to emphasise that accessibility tools are not a 'one-size-fits-all' remedy. People have diverse needs and preferences, and the efficacy of these tools can vary from person to person. Just because it works for one team member doesn’t mean it will work for another. Always encourage your team members to try different options to see what works best. Additionally, employers may have specific software or devices they support, have previously used or use within their home life, so it's worth consulting with them for compatibility and additional resources.
The Tip of the Iceberg: Additional Features for Disability Inclusion
Beyond these five tools, many built-in accessibility features are available on most digital devices. Adjusting the font size, changing colour contrast and customising keyboard shortcuts are simple yet effective ways to make technology more accessible for people with visual, motor or cognitive impairments.
Exploring the many tech tools on offer today can help you improve the accessibility of your workplace and better support disabled workers, in your quest to make sure people are set up for success in a truly inclusive environment. Of course, there are many factors to making a workplace accessible, and tech is only one of the many possible steps to improve. Ultimately, technology holds immense potential to drive transformative change in workplace accessibility, benefiting both disabled and non-disabled employees in profound ways!