Accessible and usable workplace technologies, and various types of assistive technology, are paramount in helping people with disabilities succeed on the job and deliver for their employers. Reflecting this, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (USDOL/ODEP) launched an accessible workplace technology initiative designed to advance the development and adoption of accessible information and communication technology (ICT) in workplace settings.
Accessible and usable workplace technologies, and various types of assistive technology, are paramount in helping people with disabilities succeed on the job and deliver for their employers. Reflecting this, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (USDOL/ODEP) launched an accessible workplace technology initiative designed to advance the development and adoption of accessible information and communication technology (ICT) in workplace settings.
Concepts Communications was pleased to work on this initiative during its inception, and to support USDOL/ODEP’s growing portfolio of accessible technology work for nearly a decade. Beginning in 2010, we assisted USDOL/ODEPin facilitating a national dialogue on accessible workplace technology with public- and private-sector stakeholders; educating IT providers on the benefits of creating interoperable, accessible workplace technology; and teaching employers about the strategic advantage of adopting accessible ICT and setting universal accessibility policies in their organizations. These activities culminated in a series of educational webcasts, webinars and podcasts, branded as AT Works, which explored the vital connection between accessible technology and disability employment. Later, when USDOL/ODEP expanded the effort, Concepts Communications helped brand and implement the initiative now known as the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT).
To start, Concepts Communications worked closely with USDOL/ODEP to shape its policy agenda on accessible workplace technology, which was built around a vision of future ICT applications that are accessible, interoperable, universally designed and usable by everyone. As part of this, Concepts Communications helped USDOL/ODEP develop a public-private sector task force comprised of developers, accessibility experts and executives from the nation’s leading technology companies, such as Adobe, AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Unisys and W3C. This group helped educate USDOL/ODEP on industry needs and explore ways to ensure that developers receive training, education and certification related to developing accessible workplace applications.
Concepts Communications also assisted with educating public and private sector employers about the importance of adopting and implementing accessible ICT policies, practices and procedures in the workplace. In support of this, in 2012, Concepts Communications conceptualized and executed AT Works, an USDOL/ODEP-sponsored educational series, to bring visibility to the agency’s progress in the accessible technology arena. From panel discussions to educational presentations, AT Works events featured insightful dialogues from industry luminaries, including Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, who is widely considered to be one of the fathers of the Internet. Concepts Communications managed these training events from start to finish, including coordinating production, writing talking points, prepping participants and working with vendors to ensure the accessibility of webinar interfaces. Thousands tuned in to these live events, while scores of others watched the archived versions.
From 2013-2019, Concepts Communications was selected to serve as the communications subcontractor on the next iteration of USDOL/ODEP’s accessible technology initiative, PEAT. This multi-faceted effort, shaped based on input gleaned from AT Works, promotes the employment, retention and career advancement of people with disabilities through the development, adoption and promotion of accessible technology. Guided by a variety of policy and technology leaders, PEAT is the only resource of its kind that brings together employers, technology providers, thought leaders and technology users around the intersecting topics of accessible technology and employment.
In addition to developing the logo and visual brand for PEAT, Concepts Communications provided copy writing, content development and content marketing services for the effort. For example, our team drafted and edited tools, blog posts and resources to help employers and the technology industry adopt and promote accessible technology as part of everyday business practices. We also created the visual design for the project’s centralized website, PEATworks.org, and developed the structure and content for PEAT’s TalentWorks tool, which helps employers and human resources professionals make their online job applications and other eRecruiting tools accessible.
Additional activities included managing PEAT’s social media campaigns and supporting its ongoing policy development efforts related to accessible technology. For example, Concepts Communications helped plan and manage the inaugural meeting of PEAT’s Think Tank, which brought together subject matter experts and partners to identify trends and investigate new opportunities for collaboration.
We offer our clients a unique combination of strategic communications savvy and in-depth knowledge of several interrelated policy issues.
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