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A conversation that starts with long time colleague energy, and ends with a rallying call to stop treating accessibility like a nice to have.
Susi Miller, founder of eLaHub and author of Designing Accessible Learning Content, shares what changed when accessibility regulations became a catalyst, and why learning content has to catch up with other industries that already treat accessibility as innovation.
The episode moves between practical reality and lived impact, including Esi’s experience of being refused a reasonable adjustment in education, and how “equal treatment” can still be discrimination. Susi also shares the moment she realised she had overlooked speech access needs in a live session, and what that taught her about designing with flexibility, not assumptions.
The conversation lands on a hard truth. If learning excludes disabled people, it cannot be called excellent. When as much as 25 percent of an audience can be impacted, accessibility stops being a technical detail and becomes a leadership responsibility.
This is for learning leaders, content creators, EDI professionals, and anyone building training who wants accessibility to move from compliance to culture, and from intention to everyday practice.
SIGNPOSTING AND RESOURCES
eLaHub, Designing Accessible Learning Content Programme:
A self access programme showing what accessible learning can look like, built to practice what it teaches.
Link: https://www.elahub.net/sp/designing-accessible-learning-content-programme/ (eLaHub)
eLa1000 Accessibility Assessment:
A free assessment tool to benchmark learning content accessibility and get a report on where things stand.
Link: https://ela1000assessment.elahub.net/ (ela1000assessment.elahub.net)
Designing Accessible Learning Content, Second Edition, Kogan Page.
Susi’s book, written to translate WCAG into practical steps for learning content design.
Kogan Page Link: https://www.koganpage.com/hr-learning-development/designing-accessible-learning-content-9781398618206 (koganpage.com)
Amazon Link: https://amzn.eu/d/04VsoHo2
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG 2.2, W3C:
The standards discussed throughout, including what changed in WCAG 2.2.
Link: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/ (W3C)
UK Public Sector Accessibility Regulations 2018, legislation:
The regulations Susi describes as a catalyst for accessible digital content standards.
Link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents (Legislation.gov.uk)
European Accessibility Act, European Commission:
The wider direction of travel discussed, where accessibility becomes the default, not the exception.
Link: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/european-accessibility-act-eaa_en (European Commission)
Influences Mentioned By Susi:
Haben Girma, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habengirma
Lainey Feingold, website: https://www.lflegal.com/
Léonie Watson, LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lwatson
Molly Burke, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/%40MollyBurkeOfficial
Sinéad Burke, LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/thesineadburke
Jenny Lay Flurrie, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylf
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