Senior management
Support from senior management is critical for ensuring that disabled people can access online information and services.
Note: Digital practitioners often perform a mix of activities. Even if you’re mainly a manager, be sure to check out the other roles for guidance that’s relevant to the work you actually do.
Supporting web accessibility
Senior management can support web accessibility through:
- knowledge
- understanding what accessibility is and why it matters
- keeping up to date on accessibility-related legislation and understanding the risks associated with inaccessible web content
- keeping track of the organisation’s external and internal websites and other digital systems
- policies
- ensuring that the organisation has an accessibility policy
- ensuring that accessibility requirements are clear in procurement contracts
- strategy
- developing a long-term strategy for implementing accessible information for external and internal customers
- keeping the line of sight clear for staff about why the tactical work is being done
- aligning outcomes with related strategies that are important to the organisation’s work
- education
- communicating to staff and advocating for the importance of making content accessible, whether it’s in emails, presentations, videos, PDFs, Word documents, collaboration platforms and e-learning modules, or on intranets and external websites
- ensuring that staff have the necessary web accessibility knowledge or easy access to such knowledge and relevant training
- reducing ableism in the workplace and building an inclusive culture
- accountability
- requiring staff to make web content that disabled people can use
- resources
- ensuring that staff have the appropriate software, hardware and tools for making content accessible
- increasing diversity and innovation in the organisation by hiring disabled people and enabling them by providing the right working conditions.
Leader’s guide to accessibility
For an introductory guide to accessibility for senior managers, see the UK Government’s Leader’s guide to accessibility.
Except for a few references to UK legislation and resources, the guide will help you understand the basics and how to integrate accessibility into your team and the digital content and services it builds.
Relevant Knowledge Areas
The following web accessibility Knowledge Areas are directly relevant to the senior management role.