By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst

Your colleagues. Your neighbors. Your friends.

They need accessible digital technology. You may not even know that they do. 

Sometimes knowing more about how digital accessibility impacts real life makes it easier to understand why:

• We must continue to learn.
• We must continue to innovate and transform our digital spaces.
• We all must continue to advocate.

Minnesota has a strong digital accessibility history. Why? For over 10 years our state government employees have worked and continue to work to improve access to information by Minnesotans. And, we have goals around hiring and retaining qualified employees with disabilities. 

The state’s Information Technology department, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), is the home of the Office of Accessibility. This Office leads digital accessibility for the state of Minnesota. The Office partners with the state’s digital accessibility coordinators, state agencies, and all state employees. Together this group is transforming the way we buy, build, and use technology. Our shared goal: improve digital accessibility used by Minnesotans and state employees.

Let’s meet some employees who need the technology used at work to be accessible. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, this month we learn from:

• Donald Hirasuna, Minnesota Department of Commerce.
• Tommy Sar, Minnesota Department of Health.
• A Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) employee.

They share the type of work they do, and how digital accessibility improves their ability to give Minnesota their best.

Doing Important Work

Minnesota state employees have jobs that require all kinds of knowledge and ability. Hirasuna works at the Department of Commerce as a Rates Analyst. “I typically conduct econometric analyses to evaluate forecasts from utilities.” Sar works for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). “I’m a business application specialist at MDH’s Agency Projects and Planning Office. I establish governance and serve as system administrator for certain shared applications such as Absorb Learning Management System and Smartsheet. I also provide shared applications consultation and solutions to better empower MDH employees to serve Minnesota.” The MnDOT employee’s job involves the creation and managing of a database. In addition, he writes and submits reports.

The essential duties for each position are very different. And yet, common to all 3 positions is using:

• Digital information - they must review it, create it, and sometimes store for later use. 
• Digital interactions - with other people and systems.
• Technology covered by the state of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility law and standard.

Also common for these 3 people? They use assistive technology.

Assistive Technology – Essential Tools

Assistive technology is:

“any item, piece of equipment, or product system,
whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized,
that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”
[From the What is AT page - Minnesota STAR Program.]

These essential tools enable access to accessible digital information. You may be familiar with how you can talk to your phone, and it types messages for you. For a person with a disability who is unable to type or type well, this and other speech to text assistive technology is essential. 

Job accommodations like speech to text and other assistive technologies are an important part of making it possible to hire more people with disabilities. In today’s competitive job market, it is important to be able to hire from the widest pool of qualified potential employees. And, as documented by McKinsey and others, more diverse workforces perform better. The availability of job accommodations, combined with using accessible technology gives the state of Minnesota a greater number of candidates to select from.

Each of the people we spoke to this month uses different assistive technologies. Sar shares, “I use a hearing aid and manual wheelchair. I regularly use captions and text-to-speech features found in various software and operating systems.” And some people, like Hirasuna, use an assistive technology that provides a combination of features. He uses Fusion. This software has features including screen magnification (beyond what is available in the operating system), and a screen reader.

The MnDOT employee shares how he uses his assistive technology while completing tasks throughout the day. “I use assistive technology like JAWS and Seeing AI to complete my work assignments.” Seeing AI is an app that includes features like:

• Speaking text that is in front of your device camera.
• Identifying products by their barcodes.
• Describing the people around you.
• Identifying currency bills. 

He continues, “I use JAWS (a screen reader) to read and respond to my email; create and manage a database; edit my work, submit, and organize reports. I also use a Montesquieu Braille device to read and take notes or edit my work.” He also shared how assistive technology contributes to a higher role for him and other people who use this type of technology. “Assistive technology makes it possible to support myself and my family.”

Assistive technology relies on accessibility when working with digital information. When something is not accessible, using a document, web form, or software may not work for some people. This is why we all have a role to play.

Built-In Accessibility Improves Access, Efficiency

When you encounter a curb-cut built into a sidewalk while walking with a baby in a stroller, it makes life simple. If you use a wheelchair, it makes using the sidewalk possible. You don’t have to stop and think about how to do something. You don’t have to consider another route. You just use the curb-cut to transition from the sidewalk to the street.

Digital accessibility that follows recognized standards uses this same approach in digital spaces. Documents and emails, surveys for gathering feedback, and collaborative spaces are just a few examples that require designing and building content, templates, and systems following these standards and best practices.

The MnDOT employee shared that he uses a screen reader. This means that for his assistive technology to access information:

• Alt text for images should clearly identify key information in graphics.
• Headings throughout documents and websites will make it easier for him to hear the outline and move to the section he needs.
• Form fields in a PDF, survey, or web page must use proper labels – both visible and for the form field itself. 

Hirasuna shares, “With my partial vision, I work best with a combination of a magnifier and reader.” How do you ensure that he can use your information? 

• Consider people who magnify when reviewing wireframes and design proposals. Ensure this will work well if the person magnifies to 200% (current state of Minnesota standard).
• Use quality graphics. These are more likely to remain clear when magnified.
• Make magnification a part of your testing. Look for information that may overlap, making something unreadable. Check that dropdowns contain all their text when magnified. Try completing text fields within your form.

Sar reminds us that sometimes, technology itself is the curb cut. “While many dislike the general shift to virtual meetings, for me, it is a huge boon. Face-to-face meetings weren’t always great for me due to being hard of hearing. I can only hear with my left ear so if the speaker(s) are positioned to my right or behind, I have a very hard time understanding them. Since I don’t have stereo hearing, it is difficult to track multiple speakers and pick out voices in a loud environment. Throw in bad acoustics and I might as well not attend the meeting. However, virtual meetings usually mean

• One person speaks at a time.
• Their voice goes directly into my ear. 
• I can adjust the volume.
• I can use an Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated captioning or a live transcript. 

Another example is whiteboards. I dislike physical whiteboards because as a wheelchair user, I can only reach the bottom portion of the board. I also have difficulty writing legibly on vertical surfaces. Whereas digital whiteboards are fully accessible to me.”

And this is where the state of Minnesota digital accessibility standard is important. You don’t have to remember what helps each person in this article. The standard provides a way to plan digital accessibility that works for many. One aspect is using an accessible digital whiteboard. One that also enables a person using a screen reader or magnifies to use it too. Pair this with describing what is happening onscreen as people are using it during the meeting. Now it is accessible for many people, including people who use a wheelchair, people who magnify and/or use a screen reader, and those attending by telephone. And, everyone will be able to actively participate in your meeting.

We Still Need to Ask What People Need

Important: remember to include information about how to request an accommodation. People may need them in different scenarios. Think about situations like meetings, webinars, and conferences. The MnDOT employee shares a best practice: “When people make a request for accommodation in technology, respond quickly and efficiently for they rely on it for their work.” 

• Throughout your work, think about when a person may need to make a request. 
• Have a plan on how to integrate this into your workflow. 
• Draft language your team can include in communications. This should include the contact information of a person or office to reach out to when making a request. Include their email and phone number. 
• Ask your Human Resources team who to contact if you get a request. Many will have an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator.

And there is still other work to do. Building more equitable, inclusive spaces means understanding the needs of people like Sar, Hirasuna, and the MnDOT employee. Consider involving people with disabilities when planning your next IT project. They have wishes for the next versions of digital interactions.

Other Points to Ponder

Each of our interviewees shared concepts they hope you will consider in the coming year.

The MnDOT employee wants everyone to “keep all abilities in mind when communicating digitally. Don’t assume assistive technology users communicate the same way as you. Instead, try to understand how they communicate digitally. As language is for communication, technology, too, is for communication. If the point is to communicate, don’t make it inaccessible.” 

“My wish,” shares Hirasuna, “is that all organizations continue to work on their understanding and appreciation of the skills that persons with disabilities can bring to the office.  Also, my hope is that employers continue to strive to provide a working environment that recognizes the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and to further recognize that different challenges are not equivalent to additional challenges.”

“Rather than view accessibility as a chore you’re legally obligated to work with,” says Sar, “understand that accessibility features often benefit those who don’t need it. They can enable more efficient productivity, reduce errors, or just make work more pleasant. Captions and transcripts are great for later reference and record keeping as well as missed attendees. Alt-text may ensure people understand the point of a graph or image. By normalizing and embracing accessibility as USABILITY, everyone benefits. But more importantly for me, that’s fewer barriers to an inclusive work environment where more people with disabilities can be gainfully employed and support themselves, their families, and society as a whole.”

Join the Movement

As part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, you have already taken an important step. You took time out of your day to learn more about people. Thank you! Here are some ways you can continue to build awareness and understanding in the coming year:

• Learn more about digital accessibility.
• Discover the hiring practices supporting people with disabilities in your organization. In Minnesota, there is information on the Minnesota Management and Budget's website about welcoming and supporting a diverse workforce.
• Plan time in your calendar weekly, even 15 minutes, to practice improving digital accessibility in your daily work. It is amazing what you can accomplish in a year with regular practice.