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Creating Accessible Habits at Ohio University

The digital accessibility team at Ohio University is launching a new initiative, "Accessibility Habits," to increase accessibility awareness across the campus. Last week, we spoke with Jill Bateman, the Digital Accessibility Coordinator and CPACC, who provided us with the details.

The "Accessibility Habits" program draws inspiration from the "habit stacking" principles outlined in James Clear's book "Atomic Habits." Recognizing that lasting change often hinges on the power of small, consistent actions, this program aims to foster a culture of accessibility awareness, inclusion, and responsibility within the university community.

Participating in "Accessibility Habits" are the cohorts of the Ohio University Digital Accessibility Network (OHIO DAN). This cohort of approximately 300 is a university-wide community of staff, faculty, students, and leaders working together to encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing, and peer support to enhance digital accessibility.

How Does "Accessibility Habits" Work?

Each month, a concept from the book "Atomic Habits" will be connected to accessibility as an actionable idea, along with thought-provoking questions and practical guidance and resources to make that idea a habit. For example, the first concept presentation, scheduled for January, is: 

"Identity Shift - Be the person who creates accessible content."

"Atomic Habits" explains the idea of identity shift as your current behaviors reflect your current identity. Creating lasting change and habits starts with adopting a new identity.

For "Accessibility Habits," that means "Instead of saying, 'I need to make this accessible,' try thinking, 'I am someone who creates accessible content.'" ~ LinkedIn post from Jill Bateman with Haley Riwniak

At the beginning of each month, Jill and her team send a survey to all participants, asking them to rate their confidence level with the chosen topic for that month.

As the month progresses, resources are shared - articles, speakers, LinkedIn posts - all on the current month’s topic.

At the end of the month, there will be a final presentation and a second survey distributed to determine changes in participant knowledge, attitudes, and comfort levels with the topic.

"Small Changes, Big Impacts"

The Accessibility Habits program demonstrates Ohio University's commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible campus.

By promoting consistent, small-scale actions and a culture of continuous improvement, the digital accessibility team and the OHIO DAN hope to cultivate a deeper understanding of accessibility and empower individuals to make a real difference.

Jill hopes this program can become a model for other institutions seeking to integrate accessibility principles into their daily operations and foster a truly inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

Follow Jill's LinkedIn posts to stay informed about the progress throughout the year. We'll also share updates through this blog. 

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A human author creates the DubBlog posts. The AI tool Gemini is sometimes used to brainstorm subject ideas, generate blog post outlines, and rephrase certain portions of the content. Our marketing team carefully reviews all final drafts for accuracy and authenticity. The opinions and perspectives expressed remain the sole responsibility of the human author.

Maggie Vaughan, CPACC
Content Marketing Practitioner
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