Training staff at their own pace about accessibility at Food Standards Scotland

Public sector organisation Food Standards Scotland (FSS) was looking for a partner to help improve digital accessibility awareness and expertise among its workforce.

Jennifer Shaw, FSS's Head of Marketing & Publications, spearheaded an initiative to enhance digital accessibility within the organisation, by offering a comprehensive training course for all staff about how to create accessible content. 

Flexible eLearning for all

FSS wanted to provide staff with training they could complete independently at their own pace, ensuring engagement with the subject matter, and to show staff what changes needed to be made to comply with accessibility standards.

AbilityNet provided an eLearning course to suit the needs of FSS: an online training course that explores the key concepts of making digital content accessible to everyone. 

It includes practical tips and advice on reducing and removing barriers for those with accessibility needs, and importantly, input from and accounts of real-life experiences of individuals with accessibility needs.

Features of the online learning include:

• Staff can complete the course at their own pace and schedule
• Employees can take a quiz to test their newly acquired knowledge, save progress and resume when required
• HR managers can track the team's progress to see who has completed the course

Instead of providing a course with a set date applied, "we believed there would be more buy-in to this approach rather than requiring people to block off a specific amount of time on a set day," says Jennifer.

Easy training course set up

The process of working with AbilityNet was seamless, says Jennifer.

"I was initially a bit concerned about how we could get the training to work on our systems, but AbilityNet were quick to explain that it could be provided in a variety of different formats. When we did upload to the system it worked immediately," she continues.

Measureable outcomes: time saving and improving accessibility

Although it’s still early days, FSS anticipates that the training will lead to a better understanding of how to create accessible content, such as reports. "There will be need for fewer revisions, therefore saving time and being able to publish things more quickly," says Jennifer.

Jennifer also particularly highlights the importance of including the perspectives of disabled people with lived experience in the training courses.

The training has helped FSS understand the barriers faced by people with both temporary and permanent disabilities.

"A lot of times people jump straight to consider only the medical definition rather than the social model of disability, so the training is helping to combat this," says Jennifer.

A learning journey including compliance priorities

FSS has now launched a new Accessibility and Inclusive Communications Plan for 2024-2026, with the eLearning training being the first step. The plan includes short- and long-term actions to ensure accessibility is embedded in all aspects of the organisation’s work.

"The passing of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 regulations helped to underline accessibility as an essential and not just a ‘nice to have’," says Jennifer, "...and I try to highlight to colleagues that we need to treat compliance with the regulations in the same way as we do with GDPR."

To help emphasise to senior leaders the need for improvements in digital accessibility look for examples of what other (similar) organisations are doing and where possible speak to them about what they’ve done, advises Jennifer.

"It’s important to get buy in from leadership, so provide clear examples of why it’s important and the benefits to your organisation, not least ensuring compliance with legislation," she continues.

This case study outlines the collaborative effort between Food Standards Scotland and AbilityNet to improve digital accessibility through targeted training and inclusive practices. It’s a testament to the positive impact that focused accessibility initiatives can have on an organisation’s operations and culture. 

Watch our captioned video about our eLearning options:

Start your accessibility journey - speak to our experts

Do you need help with digital accessibility at your organisation? We offer tailored accessibility and usability support to clients from all sectors.

Speak to our experts about your project and we will advise on a bespoke accessibility strategy to meet your specific requirements.