We at Webex recently hosted a week of events focused on inclusivity and accessibility across hybrid work environments. We partnered with Connected Disability Action Network (CDAN) to sponsor GiftAbled in providing a series of sessions to highlight Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2022 because accessibility is very critical to the culture at Webex.
Launched in May 2012, Thursday May 19, 2022, marked the 11th annual GAAD celebration. Webex wanted to get very involved in this year’s events in part because of how we are working to emphasize the importance inclusivity across our company culture. Webex has also worked to include accessibility features across its platform and apps. The series of sessions and overall event participation really reinforce our commitment toward accessibility and inclusivity, which is very critical to the culture at Webex.
We wanted to sponsor GiftAbled because it is an organization that strives to create an ecosystem of like-minded individuals to collectively build an inclusive society, with a purpose to empower People with Disabilities across several aspects of their lives and support them living with dignity. Webex is also committed to helping people better understand how to build an inclusive work culture and become more considerate and knowledgeable about accessibility not only in Webex products but also in company practices.
Today’s organizations must not only consider physical accessibility to locations and tools, but leaders must also provide digital accessibility capabilities to enable skilled workers with differing abilities to contribute and collaborate across myriad circumstances. As hybrid workforces continue to become more diverse, we remain committed to embracing an inclusive culture and to incorporating features that enable universal access to the applications and resources needed to get work done.
We took part in several sessions during GAAD including a panel discussion on the future of accessibility in the next 10 years as well as a sign language workshop and a session on inclusive education and challenges with experts.
Sessions at the event detailed how accessibility cannot be an afterthought when designing products, processes, or workspaces. Presenters and attendees shared how technologies and processes can act as enablers for profound disability when organizations embrace this mindset change of building accessibility into development at the very beginning.
During each session, we shared and posted accessibility tips as well as provided American Sign Language (ASL) and Indian Sign Language (ISL) translators and interpreters for the sessions. The interpreters had “sign language interpreter” written in the participant’s name so that participants in need could easily follow. Panel members with disabilities were briefed about accessibility features available on Webex so that they would be able to use the platform with ease.
GAAD session recordings
Feel free to watch the recorded sessions to learn more:
Webex understands that technologies and products designed from the bottom up with accessibility in mind will better serve the entire population.
For instance, Webex has included improvements such as closed captioning, audio transcriptions, as well as keyboard shortcuts and other features designed for those people with hearing or visual impairments. The goal? Webex wants to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate and utilize all the resources available to all staff, enabling greater collaboration and productivity across organizations. Learn more about accessibility and Webex here.
With the acceleration of hybrid work, the push to enable employees to work from anywhere, at any time, on any device resonates across Webex collaboration technologies. As a significant component of enabling anywhere, anytime collaboration for all employees, accessibility for people with disabilities became critical to enhancements to the Webex App.
We realize how important it is for businesses embracing hybrid work with dispersed remote teams that all employees feel connected and involved in their workplace. We will continue to enhance the Webex App with accessibility features to include more workers. To learn more about accessibility from Webex and its Webex App, visit Webex.com.
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