5 ways public sector organizations can use the writ period to improve accessibility
In BC, September will throw an interesting challenge to some public sector organizations in the form of the writ period.
September 21st is Writ Day, which begins the provincial election campaign period, also known as the writ period. For many public sector organizations and public servants, it also brings a quiet period where they must pause their engagement with the community.
While the election comes October 19th, many organizations will pause community engagement until a new minister is named and fully briefed some weeks later.
For organizations looking to identify barriers or make progress on their accessibility plans, the writ period might feel like a challenge to their hard-earned momentum.
The Untapped Accessibility team is cheering you on and wants to help you keep the momentum going! Here are 5 ideas to keep your accessibility work alive through the coming months.
1. Build your teams’ foundational knowledge
Some organizations will take the writ period to make progress on building their team’s foundational accessibility knowledge. We have two great trainings to help your teams deliver more accessible services and be better colleagues: Foundations of Accessibility and Interrupting Ableism.
These two-hour sessions can be delivered virtually or in-person. They always include practical, approachable information as well as applied learning opportunities. These approaches help team members understand how to show up for each other and your community.
Public sector organizations that book either training during the writ period can request a 10% discount on their sessions.
2. Get accessibility feedback from the Accessibility Think Tank
Untapped Accessibility’s Think Tank is a curated group of accessibility professionals with a diverse experience of disability.
The group is available to function as your expert-level focus group on accessibility issues such as identifying accessibility barriers on your website, in your service offerings, or in your recruitment process.
While Untapped recommends all organizations plan to engage the broader disability community in the future, during the writ period, the Think Tank can offer you a way to get accessibility feedback without the need for a public call or advertisement.
Reach out to us to discuss your budget and priority areas that need review.
3.Create your accessibility implementation plan
If the “plan for a plan” you launched in September 2023 is crying out for some SMART goals, the writ period is a good time to start developing that more detailed implementation plan.
Untapped Accessibility is here to support you in developing an implementation plan that will result in a more accessible organization for all.
We can help on an ad hoc basis as your accessibility subject matter expert, or with a more hands on role, facilitating co-design sessions with your accessibility committee and senior leaders.
4. Empower your frontline staff to provide more accessible service
We know that making progress on accessibility requires an enterprise-wide approach and leadership in all functional areas to be onside.
From our experience, we also see that people at all levels of the organization are hungry to learn what they can do in their day-to-day duties to be more accessible. Our Accessible Client Service Training for Teams is designed for frontline customer service and client service teams.
The framework guides them by reviewing everyday tasks they complete and identifying ways to increase access and reduce barriers. Your team will learn how to understand the sometimes-hidden demands, expectations, and assumptions we make in our service design and delivery. It’s powerful training for individual contributors and leaders alike.
5. Get ready for the coming accessible employment standards
In July 2024, the BC Government concluded a public consultation process on the draft accessible employment standard and accessible service delivery standard.
Untapped Accessibility dug deep into these draft standards. We’re energized by the vision behind these standards but know organizations will need support in interpreting them and understanding what changes might be needed.
Final versions of the standards are expected in 2025, making this fall is a great time to receive a briefing or request an audit of your employment processes. Let Untapped’s team provide recommendations on how to align your employment policies and candidate experience with this coming standard.
We’re here for you, accessibility champions. Reach out to us for support, a virtual coffee, or request a proposal to help you through this challenging time.