?July is Disability Pride Month, in commemoration of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This month promotes disability awareness and aims to increase the visibility of and prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
While U.S. workplaces have come a long way since 1990, accessibility experts say there is still much more to be done. Today, more employers are investing in accessibility software and other technology for employees who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, allowing them to be more productive and not face obstacles in their work. This is crucial at a time when 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss and 20 million Americans have some level of vision loss.
More HR professionals are learning about accessibility software and other ways to make their workplaces more inclusive for employees with hearing and vision loss. Here is an overview of the technology that companies are utilizing, along with tips for ensuring that workplaces are more accessible so every employee can be productive.
Fusion
Montieth & Company, a global strategic communications PR agency with offices in New York, has 19 employees, one of whom has vision loss. According to Erica Fu, business and operations supervisor, a software product called Fusion is of great help to the employee.
“Given the nature of PR and client work, they require a laptop that is compatible with Fusion, an accessibility software tool for the blind and visually impaired,” Fu said. “We have found that Fusion has flexible, high-quality speech [speech-to-text and text-to-speech], powerful keyboard access, including web navigation, and customization options that fit our employee’s needs.”
Fusion also provides ZoomText and JAWS tools, including AppReader, which reads documents, web pages and emails; visual enhancements and screen magnification for screen viewing; and text reformatting for easier viewing.
The software is only compatible with Windows and Microsoft servers, so Montieth & Company purchased a suitable laptop for the employee. It has a 17-inch touchscreen, making it easier for the employee to use magnification tools and view the screen.
“The value of supporting employees living with a disability goes beyond simply having accessibility functions,” Fu said. “It is about empowering employees and providing tools to help them seamlessly complete client work and meet deadlines.”
SonicCloud
Citi, Sony, PNC and Boeing are just some of the companies that use SonicCloud, a 10-person California company whose namesake software provides personalized sound to users who are hard of hearing. The software takes the user through a personalized hearing assessment and creates a profile based on the results. Users can take their hearing aids out or have them in while using SonicCloud to participate in conference calls, watch videos, listen to music or use the sound on their devices.
Larry Guterman, a former director in Hollywood (“Son of the Mask” and “Cats & Dogs”), co-founded the company after he began to experience hearing loss in his early 20s.
“We believe that true inclusion is making sure all employees can join the conversation,” he said. “The ongoing changes in flexible work and the increase in video and audio calls means that those who struggle with hearing loss face added challenges.”
For instance, when multiple people are talking at once during a Zoom meeting, it can be difficult for those with hearing loss to understand anything. Some employees have to record meetings and have them transcribed afterwards, which impacts their productivity.
“Companies have a duty to provide their workforce with the necessary tools to do their jobs effectively,” Guterman said. “Communication is a key aspect of any productive and functional organization, but workers can’t participate fully in conversations or collaborate if they can’t hear clearly.”
With hearing-assistance software, employees who are hard of hearing can be more successful. “Employees are happier because they can participate fully and have the confidence to showcase their talents,” Guterman said.
Microsoft 365 Products
At the University of Phoenix, a fully remote online university, all 3,000 employees use Microsoft 365 products, which come with embedded accessibility features.
“Features such as text zoom and read text make it easier for employees with visual impairments,” said Melissa Hernandez, senior HR business partner. “We use software such as speech-to-text to reduce typing fatigue and text zoom for visual impairment.”
Tech company APKCima, which develops APK (Android Package Kit) apps and games, also uses screen readers and magnifiers for employees at its San Francisco headquarters and elsewhere.
“[We had] an employee who was visually impaired and relied on a screen reader,” said CEO and HR Director Johan Alexander, who oversees 500 employees. “They were able to independently access and navigate our company’s intranet portal, review important documents, and participate in online training programs.”
Providing the screen reader and other accessibility tools to employees with disabilities allowed them “to contribute effectively to their team, boosting their confidence and job satisfaction,” Alexander said.
From the HR side, Hernandez said these tools can help her and her team at the University of Phoenix level the playing field.
“It allows us to be more inclusive of the entire talent pool by offering tools that make the job accessible to all qualified candidates,” she said. “[It also] allows us to hire the best candidate.”
Implementing a Plan
When looking for software and other tools for employees with vision and hearing loss, experts advise making sure they qualify as an ADA “reasonable accommodation,” are HR- and IT-compliant, and work with the company’s existing technology. This means communicating with IT on a regular basis to find the best solutions.
“It’s vital for HR professionals to constantly collaborate with IT departments and implement comprehensive accessibility policies and best practices for their organization,” Alexander said.
Employees must be able to read their handbooks and watch training videos, as well as comprehend any other materials that HR provides them, he said.
At the University of Phoenix, all employee training videos include “audio, closed captions [and] compatibility with a screen reader,” Hernandez said. “[We] are careful not to use colors that would be difficult for colorblind persons to read.”
For Fu, giving employees with disabilities what they need to thrive in the workplace is not just a requirement, but a moral obligation as well.
“Companies have the responsibility to make the work experience for employees living with disabilities as seamless as possible,” she said. “It’s also the right thing to do. Working with a colleague who is living with a disability inspires a sense of responsibility in me.”
Kylie Ora Lobell is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.