Accessibility - don’t always shoot for the stars
As I pushed through the final stages of preparing one of our annual reports this week, I was reminded that public sector organizations MUST communicate with ALL their stakeholders.
For social media evangelists, this means we must remember that the world cannot be migrated to online information, publications and connections - at least not yet.
For example - our annual report, while not a thick publication, makes for a relatively big .pdf file. Nowhere near the size of an .mp3 or a video, but large enough that quite a few Canadians would be unable to download it easily.
You have to remember, you see, that not all communities have broadband. Not all Canadians have computers, or even access to a computer.
And it’s not just a question whether our intended audiences have the right appliances to access our content.
Not all Canadians are literate at a university or college level.
As public servants, we have to serve all our citizens. And that is one of the brakes on the full implementation of web 2.0 apps and social media in the government setting.
October 19th, 2007 15:45
I like that you considered accessibility broadly. Too often it is limited to physical disability. I would add “third language” speakers to the list of considerations, too.
October 19th, 2007 18:13
Adding to Barbara’s point: we should also be delivering content that is accessible via the full range of devices, eg., screen readers, mobile phones as well as the various legacy browsers that older and less technically literate still use.
PDF’s are limiting on any number of levels - but they do look good to the people who can download, open and see them…
October 19th, 2007 18:53
first off, a quote from Caddyshack: “no offense. Looks good on you!”
To me, only posting documents in .pdf format means an institution is more concerned with presentation and control of the information than actually making the information accessible to everyone - including people who use audio readers.
October 19th, 2007 23:12
“Not all Canadians are literate at a university or college level.”
Anyone who thinks otherwise should spend an hour or two reading ministerial correspondence.
October 21st, 2007 01:04
It always goes back to the audience and what they want…pdf, html or stone tablets for that matter.
October 21st, 2007 23:23
Colin,
You’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. You’re absolutely right - as much as we want to chase the shiny new objects in social media, as government communicators we have to remember that all citizens are as lucky as us, but we must communicate to all of them.
It’s not just a legal obligation; it’s also a moral one too.