Marketing and Accessibility | ENABLING CHANGE Accessibility for the Performing Arts

Marketing is essential to getting the word out about what we do, but are our messages accessible to all? This presentation touches on important considerations and best practices for accessible marketing in the performing arts.

Transcript

1. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls ACCESSIBLE MARKETING EnAbling Change: Accessibility for Performing Arts
2. Disabled White Woman Tangled Art + Disability Producer and Communicator Cripping Masculinity Research Assistant Independent Arts Administrator Speaker & Facilitator
3. Coming Up: PART 1 Collective Understanding PART 2 Elements of Accessible Marketing BREAK PART 3 Examples of Accessible Marketing PART 4 Accessible Social Media and Websites PART 5 Resources and Q & A
4. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Building Collective Understanding
5. “Accessibility is concrete resistance to the isolation of disabled people.” - Mia Mingus Disability Justice scholar and activist Defining Accessibility
6. Defining Disability “Disability is a complex evolving term. Disability can be visible and non- visible. It can range from chronic pain and illness, mental wellbeing, and anything far and in-between. Disability can be fluid. For example, one day someone can have a ton of energy, then next they have none. One day chronic pain can be unbearable, then next barely none. There is no ‘right way’ to be disabled.” - Cripping Masculinity
7. Defining Crip “To Crip is to open with desire for the way that disability disrupts” - Kelly Fritsch
8. Defining Ableism “A system of assigning value to people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This systemic oppression that leads to people and society determining people’s value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, “health/wellness”, and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, ‘excel’ and ‘behave.’ You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.” - Talila A. Lewis
9. Defining Disability Justice “A multi issue political understanding of disability and ableism, moving away from a rights based equality model and beyond just access, to a framework that centers justice and wholeness for all disabled people and communities.” - Mia Mingus
10. • Pitiable and pathetic; sweet and innocent; a miracle cure • Victim or an object of violence • Sinister or evil • Atmosphere - curios or exotica in ‘freak shows’, and in comics, horror movies and science fiction • “Super-crip”/ triumph over tragedy / noble warrior • Laughable or the butt of jokes • Having a chip on their shoulder / aggressive avenger • A burden / outcast • Non-sexual or incapable of a worthwhile relationship • Incapable of fully participating in everyday life Historic Depictions of Disability
11. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Defining Marketing
12. What is good Marketing?
13. Communication that gives power and agency to marginalized and vulnerable members of society.
14. What is accessible Marketing?
15. Communication that disrupts the dominant narratives of oppression against Disabled folks and vulnerable members of society.
16. Elements of Accessible Marketing
17. Accessible Language
18. Plain Language Logical Active Short Common
19. Non-Ableist Language Deaf/Hard of Hearing NOT Hearing Impaired Wheelchair user NOT Wheelchair bound Blind/Low Vision NOT Visually Impaired * Disabled or Disability Identified NOT Handicapped Has …. NOT is a victim of or suffers from
20. What is considered ableist language is ever evolving and community led, if you aren’t sure what words to use, ask a member or members of the community.
21. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Internal Communication
22. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls The Myth of Professionalism
24. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls The Myth of Independence
25. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls
26. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls External Communication
27. It’s not enough to simply desire for people to engage with our spaces.
28. It’s not enough to simply desire for people to engage with our spaces. We need to imagine community in our spaces with empathy.
29. Accessible Design
30. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls ACCESSIBLE TYPOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS CHARACTER HEIGHT Distance Height X 2.5 While 14pt font is appropriate for printed material, size needs to increase dependent on how far the viewer is from the text. A calculation to use: Distance of viewer divided by 2.5 is the height in inches of the text. A 8" 19' A 4" 10' A 2" 5' A 1" 2'6" CHARACTER HEIGHT GUIDE
31. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Who can read this? Who can read this? ACCESSIBLE TYPOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS
32. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls ACCESSIBLE GRAPHIC ELEMENTS • Can be used to add visual weight for more important information • Can be used to divide information into sections • Should not be used ‘just because’ as not to detract from information • Used to provide additional information • Background of fonts should be consistent for overlaid text
33. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls ACCESS ICONS
34. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Break
35. Accessible Marketing: Tangled Art + Disability
36. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts accessible marketing: the access guide
37. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts accessible marketing: the information
38. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts accessible marketing: live captioning material support: AI Live
39. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts accessible marketing: welcoming mistakes
40. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts accessible marketing: welcoming mistakes
41. Accessible Marketing: Cripping Masculinity
42. Cripping Masculinity CrippingMasculinty.com CrippingMasculinty@Ryerson.ca @CrippingMasculinty accessible marketing: the language variety
43. Cripping Masculinity CrippingMasculinty.com CrippingMasculinty@Ryerson.ca @CrippingMasculinty accessible marketing: the definitions
44. accessible marketing: the image descriptions
45. accessible marketing: captioning videos material support: Canva Cripping Masculinity CrippingMasculinty.com CrippingMasculinty@Ryerson.ca @CrippingMasculinty
46. Accessible Marketing: Crip Times Podcast
47. accessible marketing: the captions material support: Rev
48. accessible marketing: production practice
49. accessible marketing: the transcripts
50. Making Social Media Accessible
51. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts Building Access: Instagram Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts
52. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts Building Access: Facebook Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts
53. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts Building Access: Twitter
54. Making Websites Accessible
55. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts Checking Access: Issues
56. Tangled Art + Disability tangledarts.org @TangledArtsTO @Tangled_Arts Checking Access: Usability
57. To Recap: Refer to expertise that exists in Disability Communities. Value interdependence and varied communication styles. Build access into your internal and external modes of communication. Reach new audiences with empathy, giving agency and power.
58. Quick Wins for Access • Use Plain Language • Use Sans Serif fonts • Ensure your fonts are large enough in their given materials • Ensure text is legibly placed over an image • Have contrast between text and background at least 70% for readability • Add image descriptions and Alt Text to digital and social media content • Add subtitles and captions to audio and video content • Have transcripts or ASL available for audio content • Use universally understood pictograms to display access features • Use readily available tools and resources to enhance and check content • Have fun :)
59. To Recap: Dismantling ableism is hard work.
60. Resources: disability community A11y Project A resource page with a collection of software, books, blogs, online tools, etc. www.a11yproject.com/resources Tangled Art + Disability A not for profit art + disability organization dedicated to connecting professional and emerging artists, the arts community and a diverse public through creative passion and artistic practice. https://tangledarts.org Disability Visibility An online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com Sins Invalid A disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists. https://www.sinsinvalid.org
61. Resources: language access Deaf Spectrum An ASL Access Products and Services organization established to support community services to become more accessible and inclusive with three main areas of focus: Arts, Access, and Education. http://deafspectrum.com/ AI Live A live captioning organization focused on converting spoken words into text and sending over the Internet in real-time. https://www.ai-live.com/ REV Rev provides the unmatched combination of the world’s best automatic speech recognition artificial intelligence and the world’s largest community of speech-to-text freelancers. www.rev.com Alt Text As Poetry A project framing alt text as a type of poetry allows us to make the internet more accessible. https://alt-text-as-poetry.net/
62. Resources: digital access World Wide Web Consortium Strategies, standards, and supporting resources to help you make the Web more accessible to people with disabilities www.w3.org/WAI/ World Wide Web Consortium - Evaluation Tools Source for web accessibility evaluation tools like software programs or online services that help determine if web content meets accessibility guidelines. www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/tools/selecting/ WEBAIM WebAIM’s mission is to expand the potential of the web for people with disabilities by providing the knowledge, technical skills, tools, organizational leadership strategies, and vision that empower organizations to make their own content accessible to people with disabilities. www.webaim.org Accessify Run a free website performance test and get actionable tips on how to optimize it. www.accessify.com
63. Resources: digital access pauljadam.com A collection of HTML Web Accessibility Testing Tools in one location in a Safari Extension used for quick and easy Accessibility testing. Run your favorite Accessibility testing tool and then take a screenshot showing the a11y error to developers and designers pauljadam.com/extension.html Sa11y Sa11y is an accessibility quality assurance tool that visually highlights common accessibility and usability issues. Geared towards content authors, Sa11y indicates errors or warnings at the source with a simple tooltip on how to fix. ryersondmp.github.io/sa11y/ A11y Project A resource page with a collection of software, books, blogs, online tools, etc. www.a11yproject.com/resources/ Tota11y Plugin tota11y is a chrome plugin that helps visualize how your site performs with assistive technologies. Chrome web store: Tota11y
64. Resources: digital access Pericles: Text to Speech Screen Reader Web-page TTS (text to speech) screen reader, that does not require cutting and pasting sentences or entire page sections Pericles benefits people with disabilities, eye fatigue or those who want to increase their productivity. It helps you read the news, scientific articles, and many other text resources. Chrome web store: Pericles Harvard Digital Accessibility Services Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) at Harvard supports community in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to access the university’s knowledge, ideas, and resources. accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/
65. To Recap: Dismantling ableism is hard work. But you don’t have to do it alone!
66. Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com kristinamcmullin.com @k_mcmulls Q & A Kristina McMullin k.e.mcmullin@gmail.com