Thursday 20th May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day - an important day where we recognise the struggles that some of us go through in the workplace when doing things that others wouldn’t need to think twice about. In the UK there are six million people of working age with a disability; however only 48% are in work, compared to 80% of non-disabled people. The question therefore is, what can be done to make work much more accessible to those with disabilities?
With home working even more prevalent now, it’s important that we continue to recognise some of the accessibility challenges people face in the virtual workplace and learn what we can do to accommodate these. Read on as we explore some of the accessibility features available from Google Workplace and their Chrome browser to improve accessibility in an ever increasing digital world of work.
high contrast display themes
Using high contrast display themes on screens makes viewing text and content easier for those who suffer from colour vision deficiency (colour blindness) or for those who suffer from issues such as migraines or eye strain. A high contrast display changes the background of the screen to black and the text to white; reducing the strain on the eyes and minimising colour on the screen to make viewing more accessible.
third party accessibility integration
Google provides a lot of support for the integration of third-party products that make accessibility of content and information easier, such as screen readers for those with visual impairments. These integrations, alongside the availability of features that allow for things such as zooming and scaling the interface, makes using tech much more accessible for those with visual impairments.
meeting support functions
For those with hearing impairments, virtual meetings can be much more difficult. If people in the meeting have cameras switched off or their connection is poor, communication can become an issue. Google’s features such as automatic captioning and meeting chat functions allow users with hearing impairments to participate and engage in meetings much more easily.
At Randstad, we are continuously learning and adapting our inclusive practices, so that everyone can be their whole selves here and bring their most authentic selves to work. Find out more about our inclusivity and wellbeing by clicking here, or read more about life at Randstad by clicking the button below.