“The digital world is a rapidly changing environment that all of us increasingly rely upon. The reality is, for people living with a disability, much of the internet remains inaccessible (despite the legal policies put in place to facilitate accessibility). To create a more inclusive world, the Centre for Accessibility Australia (CFA Australia) aims to reduce the accessibility gap.”
This statement from CFA Australia perfectly summarises the purpose of our 3rd diversity and inclusion training day; to gain a better understanding of;
a) the obstacles that people living with disabilities face when trying to utilise digital tools that many of us take for granted on a daily basis, and
b) how we can apply these insights into the work that we produce.
As a digital agency, we feel it’s our responsibility to ensure that the solutions we deliver best meet the needs of all potential consumers.
Who better to provide insight into the accessibility gap, than CEO of the Centre of Accessibility himself, Scott Hollier. Scott was kind enough to agree to join the 30 Acres team in a webinar where we discussed his own experiences, learnings, and walked us through how to navigate a site on different devices using screen reader shortcuts. Our team were thoroughly interested in Scott’s experiences and advice he provided on what companies can be doing better to increase their online accessibility.
After our webinar, this led to many discussions and brainstorming on what we as an e-commerce agency can do now and offer as part of our services to clients in the future in relation to improving accessibility.
One of our key takeaways was that designing for accessibility in mind, actually creates better UX and site for all users, not just those who may have accessibility impairments.
This graph from UX excellence displays succinctly how we may all find ourselves needing more accessible design, whether it be in a permanent, temporary or situational context.
Following on from this, our team took to Belongil Beach where we were greeted by Dean and some of his team from the Byron Rangers for an afternoon of learning about sand dune rehabilitation as well as turtle conservation. The Byron Rangers are a mission driven education and events business with conservation at their core, in hopes of inspiring the Northern Rivers community to “Keep Byron Beautiful.”
It was so interesting to learn how little changes we can make actually have a large impact overall on the conservation of our sand dunes. With erosion decimating the dunes in recent years, every little action we take is equally important in eventually restoring the dunes to a healthy state that in turn protects the wildlife that inhabits them. Our team thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful sunny Bryon day in the dunes learning about the incredible ecosystem that surrounds us and how to better preserve and protect it.
A key takeaway for every beach goer is to avoid walking on, or ripping up the dune grass, as this spinifex is essential to dune health and reduces the impacts of coastal erosion.
If you’re interested in hearing more about what we’ve been up to on our journey towards becoming a B-Corp, you can check out our last Diversity and Inclusion Day with Delta Kay, as well as our posts that delve into our why and how behind becoming B Corp certified.
