How Marketers Can Make an Impact in a More Inclusive World

Navigating the path toward greater inclusivity can feel overwhelming. There’s so much to do, so where do you start? When it comes to the inclusion piece of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), how can marketers move the needle? One thing comes to mind: your company’s website.

On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Association for Accounting Marketing’s (AAM) DEI Committee collaborated with Clockwork Design Group, Inc. (CDGI) to host a DEI webinar, “Web Accessibility: The Key to a More Inclusive World.”

The agenda consisted of:

• What is ADA Compliance?
• Why is Website Accessibility Important?
• How are Websites Made Accessible?
• Steps to Take

CDGI’s President and Creative Director, Vanessa Schaefer (she/her/hers), and Account and Project Director, Danielle Diforio (she/her/hers), provided insights and quick-win action items. The speakers encouraged us to think beyond physical mobility disabilities and focus on the visual, auditory, and cognitive challenges when thinking about our website’s functionality and capabilities. Creating an accessible site is a great place to start, so everyone who visits the website has the same experience.

After leading the webinar with the definition and importance of ADA Compliance, Schaefer and Diforio dove into a deeper discussion of tactics marketers can easily implement. They pointed out that SEO best practices tend to overlap with ADA Compliance work: i.e., always including alt text for images and photos makes Google happy but is also imperative for the vision impaired to understand your content. They showcased examples, tools and functionalities, such as “Skip to Content” navigation, background and on-page text color contrast checkers (Adobe Color’s Accessibility Tool, Color.review), font sizing, and more. Additionally, they presented tips on how to write more inclusively for those who are visually impaired and use screen readers.

The CDGI team are not only knowledgeable, but they are also passionate about their work to create a more inclusive world, and it shows. It was a quick hour filled with valuable insights and takeaways, and it’s safe to assume attendees left the webinar with action points they could bring to their respective firms. Post-webinar, CDGI provided attendees an accessibility guide for download, as well as helpful resource links they created earlier this year around ADA Compliance:

• Is Your Website ADA Compliant?
• Why is Web Accessibility Important?
• The Legal Landscape of Digital Accessibility

If you have questions or want to learn more about CDGI and their services, visit https://www.CDGI.com.

Stay up to date on AAM’s events and webinars at: https://accountingmarketing.org/events.