How Jadu continues to motivate its team to drive accessibility
The leading provider of low-code accessible web experiences Jadu, specialises in technology that connects communities and empowers accessible, effective self-service for everyone.
Jadu had organised an accessibility-focused internal team event to launch its mission “to become the World's most accessible digital platform” and wanted its whole team (not just those who work on creating accessible software and design, but those in Finance, HR to Sales departments, etc.) to learn more about accessibility from a disabled user, so asked AbilityNet how it could help.
Jadu’s Accessibility Lead, James Jacob states “While [accessibility is] a requirement for many of our customers, we emphasise that the focus and thinking-process when delivering digital services should always be centred on the user so that everyone can access digital services. It’s about doing the right thing.”
Lived experience of disability and use of assistive technology
AbilityNet’s Accessibility and Usability Consultant, Adi Latif, who is blind, conducted a session at the event and shared his lived experience of interacting with inaccessible websites. Using his screen reader, Adi demonstrated his frustrations when coming across inaccessible websites and digital services.
“Adi’s session was in depth, and very real, he used analogies which really made you think,” says James, “He brought laughter to the session, (he was extremely funny), and was personable, whilst also being very insightful, which made the session more interactive as the team were keen to ask questions and engage with Adi.”
“Jadu uses assistive tech every day to test its customers' websites”, but James adds “it was good to see Adi first-hand demonstrating certain assistive technologies to see how frustrating it can be and again he further motivated our team” he says.
Many team members mentioned that Adi’s session was their favourite presentation of the day and motivated them to continue to drive accessibility in its business, products and market. “We hope to work with Adi and AbilityNet more in the future!” says James.
Video: Jadu shares its experiences of learning about accessibility
Driving accessibility forward
James advised the importance of learning more about accessibility from a user with a disability's perspective - not just using automated accessibility tools.
The main takeaway Jadu reported from the training session with AbilityNet is “...to continue to keep our knowledge of accessibility up-to-date through training, user feedback and research to ensure we are always forward-thinking with accessibility in mind. Our goal is to make Jadu the most accessible platform in the world,” says James.
“We would recommend Adi or any of AbilityNet’s other speakers or services to join your teams should you want a thought leadership session to help you to continue driving accessibility forward,” James says. “You’ll leave the session feeling highly motivated to do better!”
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