Are you good at accepting feedback? How about as an organization or business? When it comes to improving accessibility, feedback is key. And it’s also an important part of compliance for regulated industries. I support organizations to strengthen and articulate their accessibility feedback process as part of their Accessibility Plan. In testing the process, I’ve found several common stumbling blocks. They are;
- While the feedback process was written down, it had no one responsible for managing it.
- Decision-making power was not assigned to those accepting feedback.
- There was confusion on the timelines and responsibilities.
So, let’s get into some good practice on accepting accessibility feedback and the role it plays in Accessibility Plans and organizational growth.
- Make it easy: Set up clear and easy ways for people to share their thoughts on accessibility, like email or phone and a real name attached to a person with a position with authority.
- Encourage: Promote the idea genuinely and help people understand how to give your organization accessibility feedback and socialize this throughout the organization.
- Respond: Let people know you got their feedback, what you’re doing about it, and/or how it fits into your existing plans.
- Keep getting better: Use feedback to improve. Regularly check and update your accessibility plans, accessibility information webpage, or post on your social media about the changes and improvements you have made.
There is much more I want to share on this topic as it is really at the heart of organizational readiness and cultural change, so, more to come! I would love to hear about a positive experience you had when you shared feedback and saw a positive change. Please share if you can!
