“The deep dive consultation gave our team confidence in our approach to accessibility going forward and highlighted some immediate changes we could make.”
- Megan Bouchier, Front End Developer, Digital, Bupa
Digital inclusion is paramount for every organisation and business. Poor decisions around accessibility can prove costly, with organisations risking reputational damage along with possible legal action and the need to redesign.
One company that acknowledges the importance of digital inclusivity is Bupa Health & Care, national provider of healthcare.
Bupa approached Vision Australia’s Digital Access team in 2018 to provide their digital team with greater understanding of digital inclusion and the impact it has on people with disabilities.
Digital Access national manager Neil King said Bupa’s aim was to develop an ongoing strategy to make sure their online presence was accessible to all.
“This included training and consulting and ensuring Bupa’s stakeholders, managers and team members have the necessary skills to implement changes to their online presence.”
Through consultation, research and analysis, four tailored in-house workshops were developed including:
- Introduction to Digital Accessibility
- Assistive Technology Training
- Inclusive Design
- Web Accessibility Techniques and Testing
“These workshops were designed to assist Bupa reach their goals of understanding and providing inclusive services. Alongside, we also provided accessibility consulting on the design and development of native apps.
“This meant the team at Bupa could ask specific questions about native app accessibility and inclusion techniques, and the implementation challenges these may present.”
Following the workshops, Bupa designers and developers have the skills to create a richer user experience for everyone, complementing existing design processes and enabling them to integrate inclusive design into their everyday processes.
“As the training was designed to be sustainable, it can be reproduced as resources change and can be applied to future technologies, design and project methodologies,” Neil added.
Bupa Digital front end developer Megan Bouchier said they are extremely appreciative of the value Vision Australia training has made to the team.
“Throughout the training, Vision Australia provided practical examples of ways to address WCAG criteria. They were thorough, in-depth sessions that were relevant for all roles within our team,” she said.
“Further, Vision Australia tailored the training courses to suit our specific needs, meaning more valuable, relevant content to the team. What was particularly engaging was how the training courses elicited a sense of empathy in the team.
“User stories, videos and visitors demonstrated the challenges facing our users with a disability, and how critical we were to building products that support them.”
If you think your organisation could benefit from learning more about digital inclusivity, visit the Digital Access website.