Who is in the accessibility committee

I think you will read many more times in this guide that it depends, or each organization is different. But let me give you some ideas about who should participate in an accessibility committee. For now I won’t worry much about the size of the committee, as it will have to be its own discussion.

People with disabilities

I am stating the obvious but actually there are instances when it will be impossible. There may be some rare instances when an organization will not have any people with disabilities, especially if they are just starting out with accessibility. It could be because there isn’t enough implementation of accessibility to successfully hire and retain people with disabilities. In this case, whoever will be available will have to represent the needs of people with disabilities they are planning to hire in the future. Another possibility is that there will not be any interest for people with disabilities to volunteer, though it is a rather unlikely scenario, we will have to talk about this later as well. For now keep in mind that not all people with disabilities want to bring their disability into a discussion.

However, in most instances there will be some people with disabilities who are willing to represent themselves and their peers. Ideally several types of disabilities will be represented so that the committee can base much of its work on lived experience. But it is also worth noting that when you decide on the ideal size of the committee, you may have to make some compromises.

Accessibility experts

This is more than lived experience, because having a disability alone does not make one an expert even if they have years of experience around accessibility or advocacy.

An expert should have formal knowledge on their area of expertise, for example digital accessibility, physical accessibility, accessibility related legislation or reasonable accommodation. In an ideal scenario lived experience and comprehensive knowledge will meet.

It is important to ensure that people with expertise are present that your organization needs, which may also change over time.

Department representation

Especially in larger organizations it is important that all departments, all areas are represented at least on some level, including people without disabilities. It is one thing that the improvement of accessibility is non-negotiable, but most situations are not necessarily ideal, as we don’t live in an ideal world.

An example would be accessibility education. It is reasonable to expect that on the long run each employee or member of the organization will have some knowledge about accessibility. But in reality this is not going to happen overnight. And while the committee may agree on the type of needed education, the best department will probably be HR to help roll out this education in a timely manner so that it does not interfere with other existing plans.

As each department may have people with disabilities, each department knows best how to implement accessibility in a way to maintain and enhance inclusion. Just to name a few, involve marketing, legal and compliance, procurement, product, etc.

Executive sponsor

Sooner or later you will find that there are associated costs, for example organizing an event, conducting a larger research, purchasing some equipment to test the level of accessibility, etc. Down the road you may also consider that even if the committee members are volunteers, since the committee is integral to the working of your organization, people could do this work in their own work hours and not as an extracurricular activity.

All of these have some financial implications and it helps if someone will be available to answer financial questions or help steer the discussion in a way that the suggested ideas will be affordable.

Allies and advocates

One of the most important groups will be the people who have a passion for accessibility work, who will be ready to jump in as needed, will spread the word and create excitement. Sometimes they may not be people with disabilities, they may not have much relevant experience, but do not discount them. They will be the people who will spread the word and help build the accessibility culture.

I am personally always very happy when someone wants to join an accessibility committee even if they think that they don’t have anything to contribute. First it is not correct, because we all do. But more importantly you never know where their enthusiasm will take them or your organization. Maybe they will first quietly observe and learn, but later they may become the new accessibility experts, or maybe when they switch organizations they will be the ones who will set up an accessibility committee. I always feel that the people who are there to learn are just as important as the people who bring a wealth of experience.

External clients and stakeholders

This is one of the most difficult groups to involve but it is extremely important because your organization exists because of them.

A few examples would be: clients of a corporation, parents of the kids who go to your school, audience members who buy your theater’s tickets, people who live in your city.

However working with this group may be more difficult if you have to discuss information which should remain internal to your organization. And this tends to be the case in most committees. However, external stakeholders are important and for that matter you may just get the best suggestions from them. One approach could be to create a separate group for them and have a representation from your accessibility committee to attend the external group. Thus, you can share information as needed and filter it to what can be shared out externally, while you have someone to report back on the findings and discussions.

Invited guests

It will not be possible to have expertise on everything and so it isn’t necessary. Sometimes you will need information on something that another member of your organization could provide, or even an outside speaker or a consultant. You can invite them on an as needed basis only for the time you want to work with them so here you don’t have to worry about sharing internal or confidential information.