October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and this year’s theme is “The Right Talent, Right Now.” Accessible information technology (IT) ensures employment opportunities are available to all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities. Some examples of relevant IT include:

• Reading employment opportunities on the website
• Applying for a position
• Completing your time card
• Reading and responding to email
• Writing and reviewing electronic documents
• Accessing the organization’s intranet and external website
• Using software tools needed to do your job

In most cases, we don’t get to see all the people working behind the scenes to develop, implement, and support inclusive hiring practices, and to ensure the computers, software, phones and websites are up to date and operating as expected. At Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), all employees are involved in ensuring we have an inclusive workplace.

At MNIT, “The Right Talent, Right Now” is evident in our recruitment strategies to hire people with disabilities. By employing a diverse team, we work better and smarter to build more inclusive digital environments. MNIT considers digital accessibility in recruitment strategies and the accommodation process. “Minnesota IT Services is committed to being a leader in employing individuals with disabilities,” says David Berthiaume, Recruiting and Retention Director. “We often leverage social media platforms to communicate our hiring needs and recently we have been able to add alt text to several of our recruiting graphics in an effort to become more digitally accessible.”

Sarah Herder Lewis, Director of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion says, “As ADA Coordinator, my role is ensuring that people with disabilities receive the accommodations they need to be successful on the job. Accommodations can be equipment, software, or services that facilitate equal access to systems and information. I have taken time to learn about digital accessibility and work with knowledgeable colleagues to improve the accessibility of our documents about the accommodation process. This ensures that those using these types of assistive technologies can review the information.”

We asked a group of MNIT employees to tell us more about their role in ensuring the state’s digital technology is accessible to all current and potential employees, and to state government stakeholders.

MNIT leadership recognizes the importance of embedding accessibility everywhere into business processes to create an inclusive culture.

MNIT Chief Business Technology Officers (CBTOs) manage the IT operations for State of Minnesota agencies, serving as the MNIT partner for the agency’s executive leaders. Bruce Yurich, the CBTO partnering with Minnesota Management and Budget, says, “Accessibility is the responsibility of everyone at all levels from executive leadership to staff. When truly adopted into the organization, accessibility isn’t an extra responsibility, but just another step in a larger process of delivering services to our employees and the public. For example, as executive leaders we set the vision and expectation that accessibility be built into our processes, and follow through by providing the resources and room for our teams to carry it out.”

Dan Oehmke, Director of the Enterprise Service Desk, agrees. “We in IT have a legal and moral obligation to improve digital accessibility. This includes continuing to increase our understanding, while considering opportunities to better serve others. It’s about enabling our colleagues and fellow citizens to participate as fully as possible in the business of government.”

But what does this look like in daily operations?

“The MNIT Tridion Web team is responsible for the development, coding, design, deployment and digital experience for the consumer-facing digital/web services,” says Colette Johnson of the MNIT Web team.

Put simply, the Tridion Web team develops the templates and tools that serve as the foundation of agency websites. Agencies then work with these tools to post content and follow the state’s standards to enable users to search for and find what they need. “Working with agency customers and stakeholders, the team manages the content management system, Search, and other systems required to bring digital information to life, get them tagged appropriately, optimized for organic search, and support of the State of Minnesota Accessibility Standards.”

Other jobs support those who make digital content accessible. Did you know that Application Administrators play a role? Grant, from the Enterprise Application Operations team, shared that he supports “several applications owned by the Enterprise Office of Accessibility. These applications assist users in remediation of documents and sites, which ensures assistive technologies such as screen readers can properly navigate content.” Because of the work Grant and his peers do, agencies can share resources, ensuring affordable access to more accessible software and content.

What happens when an agency needs to buy new software or upgrade old technology? How do we make sure that these systems are accessible? That’s when it’s critical to have staff who are knowledgeable about the potential impact for end users that use assistive technology, the different digital accessibility considerations throughout the project life cycle, and who to involve in making decisions.

Nicholas Bawek explained, “As a Systems Architect, I support digital accessibility in my work by ensuring assistive technology systems with a client/server relationship component (such as screen readers) are functioning properly, and changes are coordinated between the client-side software and the server-side application or licensing functions. In addition, when acting as the Solution Architect on an Enterprise rollout project (e.g. Windows 10 or O365 ProPlus), I aim to make sure that the Office of Accessibility is properly included in the project plan, and receives the resources and information they need to conduct a proper accessibility assessment of the solution delivery.”

With experience comes improvement, and Colleen Adams, Senior Project Manager partnering with the Office of Higher Education, has words of advice. “The two biggest accessibility lessons I have learned are: Bake in accessibility standards early in software development; and, conduct initial and periodic accessibility reviews with a digital accessibility coordinator throughout the project. Both of these best practices will significantly reduce rework later.”

Finding the person on your team who has deep digital accessibility knowledge is one way to find a peer mentor and develop your skills. They are often passionate about the topic, and willing to help you find resources and ways to ensure your next project better includes digital accessibility. Natalie Zett, Lead Business Analyst partnering with Department of Human Services, is a good example. “As state employees serving ALL of the people of Minnesota, we need to remember that each of us has differing abilities and ways that we access and understand information. Fortunately, we have digital accessibility standards and excellent support from the Office of Accessibility to ensure that our content is accessible by everyone. In my project work, I ensure that accessibility guidelines are included in all aspects of business and solution requirements elicitation and creation. In my work as a team lead, I enjoy being available as a resource for anyone who wants to make accessibility a part of their daily work.”

Staff in any organization can improve their digital accessibility skills through a number of activities such as intranet postings with articles about digital accessibility, opportunities to take trainings and attend conferences. And support from leadership is key, but often the first step is simply engaging in conversations about inclusion.

Before National Disability Employment Awareness Month draws to a close, we encourage you to ask yourself and your colleagues:

What is your specific role in ensuring the digital technology used in your organization is accessible?