Here are the details for this year’s Accessibility Week webinars.
However many you join, you’ll come away with fresh ideas and inspiration.
Accessibility Week 2024
Get better at supporting yourself, colleagues and service users
What is Accessibility Week?
To coincide with Global Accessibility Awareness Day on Thursday 16 May, you can focus on a range of accessibility and inclusion topics that are directly relevant to local public service providers.
It’s all part of your membership of Socitm.
Meet accessibility experts who will help you use the tools you already have to better effect. You’ll be able to much better support yourself, your colleagues and your service users.
What’s happening?
| Monday 13 May: Introduction to digital accessibility |
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| Remind yourself of the importance of accessibility from moral, legal, and business standpoints. Start the week covering inclusive design and its benefits – ensuring that digital products and services are accessible to all. Additionally, the session will look into common accessibility issues. |
| Host: Lizi Green, Digital Inclusion Consultant, AbilityNet |
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| Tuesday 14 May: Helping bridge the disability divide with Copilot for M365 |
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| Copilot for Microsoft 365 can be thought of as not just a productivity tool, but also an accessibility tool. Hear from Andy about his personal experiences with ADHD and neurodiversity, and how Copilot helps him to stay connected, included, and productive in his day-to-day work. |
| Host: Andy Coulter, Teams Technical Specialist, Microsoft |
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| Wednesday 15 May: Why we connect more with companies that care |
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| Discover how combining purpose with accessible design can help foster stronger relationships with your service users. Unpack the differences between an inclusive brand and an accessible brand. Get actionable, straightforward strategies to enhance your accessibility immediately, ensuring a more inclusive user experience. Plus, learn how to avoid some common pitfalls |
| Host: Rob Helsby, Head of Experience Design, Cantarus |
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| Thursday 16 May: The secret reasons why your website might be undermining your reputation |
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| As more organisations shift to digital, the website and app becomes the primary citizen experience of the organisation. If the experience is not fully accessible then this affects the whole reputation of your organisation. |
| Hosts: Chris Fletcher, Sales Director, Silktide and Peter Bricknell, Chief Product Officer, Hassell Inclusion |
| Log in to check your website accessibility and to complete your Digital Accessibility Maturity Assessment |
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| Friday 17 May: Supporting diversity and inclusion through Microsoft and the web |
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| The simple tools we use every day to get things done – our Windows devices and Microsoft 365 come packed with many accessibility features to help overcome challenges people face when working. For many, awareness that these tools exist can have a huge impact on how they work and interact, especially for those who didn’t know these features existed, or didn’t want to ask for help. |
| Host: Joe Morley, Technology Lead, SoftwareOne |
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