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Accessible Technology: Redefining The Workplace

Every organization has its unique requirements, for developing a good accessible technology plan. As experts say, it requires a few major steps which has to be followed such as defining the accessible technology strategy, identifying requirements, designing, developing, buying technology, implementing and training, maintaining technology and continue learning.

Effective strategy and requirements will minimize costs and increase efficiency. And this will be a good start for ensuring compatibility with available technology and addressing accurately your unique business needs.

Employees and customers need to be able to customize the things by changing font size, color, type of text on screen, adjustment in text and background colors. They can make adjustments in sound options with an ability to get audio information visually such as closed captioning / audio descriptions for multi-media as well as aurally, adjustment in timings, eliminating or modifying the rate of flashing or blinking, alternatives availability for the touch screen applications, customize toolbars with easily accessible buttons, sharing of computer while training sessions, adjusting keyboard settings to compensate for impairments like hand tremors. For those who use select fingers, one hand, or no hands there is a need of an operating system with the keyboard instead of using a mouse. They can improve the visibility of the cursor and addition of assistive technology products for particular disabilities. Also, they can use an alternative kind of mouse because of mobility impairments.

Arranging Business Processes & Procedures, and Technology
The technology needs to offer ways for employees such as easy access to websites, use of email and instant messaging to collaborate and communicate. Also, it is required to use a word processing system to collaborate, share documents, manage large amount of data, and for sorting and managing files and folders.

Need of The Latest Technology to Align with the Organization’s Overall Technology Plan
Employees have to be able to determine the accessibility settings and features with the use of an existing operating system and with the same settings they can access the system for multiple use. Again with regards to the access needs of employees it should prioritize. For example, if employees are finding issues with an existing product then replace the existing technology with a new one. This change will help you to determine how best to carry out your strategy which gives a positive impact on employees.

Technology Assessment Strategy
Preparing for an accessible technology plan, it is a requirement of the existence of the current technology, where you can easily find out the required changes in current one.

What are the basic things you need to do? First, evaluate the current hardware, software and in-house applications and systems. Also, it requires to improve options that fulfill business needs while keeping in mind whether it lies within the budget, and provides more access to the number of employees and clients.

There are some good alternatives to avoid the further cost upgradation. In case of Server Operating Systems, which is particularly for administrators. We can use custom in-house applications for less number of employees or the needed one. Assessing this kind of situation will help you to find out the risk if that software is not upgraded.

Here is an another way, first frame the questions which will help you to analyze the risk of your organization’s technology assessment. Then try to answer all the questions to determine the extent of the of impact on your employees and clients that is that software is still inaccessible? Furthermore, you can compare the extent of the bad impact and possible repercussions from the same impact to determine the risk incurred by not replacing or updating the inaccessible software. That risk can further be compared with the software accessible making cost. This will help you to determine the comparison of which software is in high priority for replacing or updating and which is at the low priority based on low risks and high costs of replacement.

By evaluating operating system for employees – desktops, servers, office productivity software and industry specific applications, you can determine whether your used technology is accessible or not.

Legacy And Proprietary
We need to check whether your Legacy and Proprietary systems are accessible or not? In case of ordering and billing systems software used for shipping packages, and for legacy system mainframe business applications are used such as a legacy sales application.

From the last three decades, innovations like personal computers, the Internet, mobile devices, and cloud computing have revolutionized the way how people work, communicate, and get information. These advancements, in turn, have desperately changed the way we do business. Increased use of accessible technology proves that it fulfills the requirements of all users.

Growing number of businesses and organizations from government agencies and universities to utilities, and financial organizations are searching for the ways to engage customers, recruitment, employee empowerment, keeping hold on their valuable employees at the same time they are looking for their organizational improved efficiency and increased productivity.

In today’s digitized world, technology is the core element in all these initiatives. And to fulfill these goals, organizations need to make such technology, which will be advantageous to the biggest possible number of users without concerning the age or ability.

Accessible Technology is the way which makes it easy for any person to see, hear, and use a computer. It allows people with an array of abilities such as for persons with disabilities, age-related impairments, or limited period issues. Additionally, for novice computer or web users it requires to adjust technology as per their individual visual, capability, hearing, understanding, language requirements and preferences or to adjust their personal technology experience.

The leader in all Accessible Technologies, Microsoft always comes up with its new innovations and products which are user friendly and safe such as Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010. Also, it is providing other companies a platform for developing their accessible technologies and unique products. Altogether, Accessible technology is redefining the workplace by improving the functional capabilities and productivity of the organizations.