Unlocking the Power of Inclusive Communication - Tips for Brands to Improve Accessibility

Brands strive to connect with audiences from all walks of life, but not everyone has the same level of access to information. This is why prioritising accessibility in communication is crucial to ensuring that everyone feels valued.?

JP Media has had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, including disability services and support providers like Barkuma and Minda, as well as independent aged care provider ECH. In 2021, we collaborated with Barkuma to create a new website that effectively communicated vital and educational messages to its audiences. Our team of designers and developers faced the challenge of balancing visual appeal, technical innovation, and accessibility. We pushed ourselves to create a website that would meet the needs and expectations of Barkuma's target audience groups.

Throughout the process, we identified three core website accessibility considerations that guided every decision we made during the development of the Barkuma website. These considerations enabled us to deliver an engaging and exciting product suitable for everyone.

1. Colour Contrast: Employ adequate colour contrast between text and background to ensure readability for those with visual impairments. Avoid relying solely on colour to convey information.

2. Clear Text Formatting: Use clear and consistent text formatting, including appropriate font sizes, line spacing, and headings, to enhance readability for all users.

3. Build Accessibility into Your Website: Whenever possible, aim for AAA accessibility.

Our commitment to accessibility extends beyond website development. For example, producing ECH's quarterly magazine Keep Connected involved incorporating accessibility into marketing. Our writers and designers take great care in interviewing residents and staff and writing their stories for the magazine. We ensured that the appropriate colour contrast and formatting of text was applied across pages, and guidelines were followed to improve readability.

We apply these writing and language guidelines to all forms of communication, including media releases, internal communication, liaising with media, website copy and even social media and paid advertising, such as Google Ads.

Social media platforms are crucial communication channels for brands, and incorporating little habits into your posting approach can improve the experience for many. Consistency in tone and language across all platforms is essential for accessibility.

1. Simple Language: Use plain language that is easy to understand, avoiding jargon and complex sentence structures.

2. Document Structure: Organise documents logically with clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to aid navigation.

3. Multiple Formats: Provide content in various formats, such as PDF, Word and HTML to cater to different user preferences and assistive technologies.

4. Avoid Stereotypes: Refrain from using stereotypical or discriminatory language or imagery that perpetuates negative perceptions of people with disabilities.

5. Person-First Language: Use person-first language, placing the person before the disability, such as ‘person with a disability’ instead of ‘disabled person’.

6. Diversity in Representation: Include images and portrayals of people with disabilities in a diverse range of settings and roles, reflecting their authentic experiences.

These writing and language guidelines have been applied to all forms of communication, including media releases, internal communication, liaising with media, website copy, and even social media and paid advertising such as Google Ads.

Social media platforms, in particular, are crucial communication channels for brands, and incorporating little habits into your posting approach can improve the experience for many. It also ensures there is consistency in tone and language across all platforms, which is important without accessibility.

1. Capitalise the First Letter of Each Word in Hashtags: This improves the experience for those who use screen readers or who have dyslexia or cognitive disabilities.

2. Provide Alt Text Descriptions for All Images: This conveys their essential content and functionality to screen readers used by visually impaired individuals.

3. Adding Captions and Voiceover to Video: This makes the content more accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Improving accessibility in brand communication is crucial for connecting with a diverse audience and promoting inclusivity. Brands should prioritise accessibility in their website design and social media content, use inclusive language, and avoid stereotypes in their writing.?

Following these tips can help brands create a more inclusive and accessible communication experience for all users.