More and more products and services are moving towards digital-first delivery. Quality design, development, testing and security of these digital interfaces are important to ensure customers (or users) get access to your information, products or services. If the customer cannot navigate the system easily and safely, then digital first becomes expensive customer service support.

Accessing digital products and services is typically much more convenient for most people who have access to the Internet and the knowledge to use it. But there always seems to be a push to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with competing priorities, as soon as possible, with little budget or insufficient people power.  

With an aging population and up to 24% of the population with some form of permanent disability, there is a huge target market that needs to be specifically considered when delivering digital products and services. But those conflicting priorities often get in the way, considering accessibility for MVP seems too hard and there aren’t that many digital accessibility experts in New Zealand.

Ensuring that your organisation understands the basic concepts and the risks and rewards of digital accessibility is a key step towards tapping an untapped market and preventing and mitigating your business risk. It may be even more important to know how to put together the business case and create a road map towards true digital accessibility of your systems.  

This course aims to explain and discuss why and how digital accessibility should be considered from the beginning and all the way through your digital product life cycle. The course is designed to help you understand why and how to create that road map.

Target audience and course pre-requisites

Digital Accessibility for Digital Leaders is for anyone with roles or responsibilities as leaders in digital product development. This includes scrum masters, product owners, design leads, development leads and QA leads.

Knowledge of the digital product life cycle is helpful and ideally you will…

• Be responsible for digital design, development or testing practices in your organisation

• Have an interest or remit in implementing inclusive strategies for your organisation

• Play a key role in supporting teams and the organisation to succeed in a competitive market.

For some extra background on the content and style of this workshop please check out the conversation between Vic and Chandra below.

Course Outcomes: 

This course introduces basic concepts of Digital Accessibility for Digital Leaders. The key outcome is to give participants the necessary ‘aha’ moment, basic tools, exposure and awareness to understand the importance of digital accessibility. The course covers the essentials, explains the risks and rewards and empowers attendees to take the next step to integrating digital accessibility into your  product lifecycle.

Course Objectives: 

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Be aware of access needs, and the impact of digital access barriers on your customers

• Be more aware of assistive technology including the role Artificial Intelligence plays

• Evaluate the costs and benefits to your business of not improving your accessibility

• Evaluate the digital accessibility maturity level of your organisation  

• Identify how to integrate digital accessibility into your current practices

• Create a business case and road map to reach the benefits and avoid the risks.

Course Content

Module 1: The Essentials

• Access needs explored and explained

• POUR principals defined and discussed

• Assistive Technology, Adaptations and AI

• Real impact on your customers/users.

Module 2: Risks and Rewards

• Your obligations and potential risks of doing nothing

• Benefits of improving interface design

• Case studies and success stories

• Understanding where you are right now.

Module 3: Making it Happen

• Roles and responsibilities across the life cycle

• Implementing change in stealth mode 

• Convincing your stakeholders that inclusion is a priority 

• Roadmap for future improvements.

Preparation

This workshop is interactive with discussions throughout. Come prepared with current challenges you face in your organisation about convincing stakeholders of the priority of digital accessibility.  

To participate you’ll need:

• Computer with camera and microphone 

• Strong internet connection 

• Quiet, well-lit space 

• Willingness to contribute.

Course Facilitator

Dr Chandra Harrison is the Managing Director of Access Advisors, a digital accessibility consultancy that works across Aotearoa New Zealand. Chandra is a passionate advocate of digital accessibility, actively participating in technology organisations such as ITP, DINZ, Canterbury Tech and Women in Tech. She has presented at conferences in all sorts of topics from Social Media to AI. Chandra is also the New Zealand Country Advisors Network member for the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. 
Chandra has been working in digital agencies, research facilities and accessibility roles for the past 24 years, here in NZ as well as US, UK and EU.  Chandra has extensive experience delivering technology courses to both public and private sector organisations. She has also taught undergrad and post graduate students at several universities in the UK.  
Chandra’s PhD in Human Computer Interaction followed a research internship at Siemens Corporate Research and a Masters in Applied Psychology from the Human Interface Technology Lab NZ at University of Canterbury.

Attendance Cost

All ITP Financial Members: $300.00 + GST / $345.00 incl GST
Staff of Corporate Partners (20% Discount): $300.00 + GST / $345.00 incl GST
Non-Members: $400.00 + GST / $460.00 incl GST