Inclusion 101: The How-To of Inclusive and Accessible Communications

Announcing the launch of Disability Rights Fund’s Inclusion 101 webinars.

Inclusion 101 Webinar Series. An image of a globe in the center. At the bottom are disability logos: for Deaf, for audio-described, for interpreter, for a person with a white cane, and an active wheelchair user

Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) mandates that persons with disabilities have access to “information, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services.” Not only is it critical for persons with disabilities to have access to emergency information, the way the world communicates on a daily basis has turned upside down with the spread of COVID-19. In-person meetings, conferences, and classrooms have turned to virtual spaces as a way to continue to work, to learn, and to engage in a safe way.

Prior to the pandemic, access to information was a right that persons with disabilities were often denied due to a lack of awareness on the “how-to” of creating accessible information. Kerry Thompson, DRF/DRAF’s Senior Officer of Communications, Inclusion, & Analytics, has been asking this question during her twelve years at the organization: how do we make websites, social media, newsletters, and virtual and physical meetings inclusive and accessible for a global audience? These questions have become timelier as of late, and we have developed webinars to address these questions – and more. During these webinars, Kerry will further explore how to create accessible information in virtual spaces, and how to make your organization more inclusive for all.

While at DRF/DRAF, Kerry has worked to create accessible virtual spaces for staff and stakeholders, championed the need for interpreters and transcriptionists, and developed a blog series on inclusion. As a woman with DeafBlindness, she knows firsthand the communication challenges facing persons with disabilities especially for persons who are Blind/Low-Vision, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. Kerry has been conducting presentations and webinars on inclusive technology, inclusive virtual spaces, captioning tools, understanding image descriptions, and more. She is the blog author of “Inclusion 101: A Guide for the Well-Meaning, Well-Doing, and the Well, Clueless” and “Persons with DeafBlindness: The Left Behinds During the COVID-19 Era.”

The Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund are pleased to present the Inclusion 101 webinar series. International Sign and Captioning provided. Please see accessibility notes on the next page for tips prior to joining the webinar.

June 15, 2020
10 AM – 11 AM EDT (New York time)
Creating Accessible Social Media, Website, and Newsletter
View Recording on DRF’s YouTube Channel

June 22, 2020
10 AM – 11 AM EDT (New York time)
Celebrating Global DeafBlindness Awareness Week:
Creating Accessible Communications for Persons with DeafBlindness
Special Guest: Haben Girma
View Recording on DRF’s YouTube Channel

June 29, 2020
10 AM – 11 AM EDT (New York time)
Creating Accessible Virtual Spaces
View Recording on DRF’s YouTube Channel

Who is the webinar series for?

Everyone – persons with disabilities, Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), private foundations, grantmakers, and nonprofits.

Accessibility Notes

These webinars include:

International Sign Interpretation
Captioning
Video transcript

For questions, email Kerry Thompson at [email protected].