Making Communications More Accessible

This Spring the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) updated its Guidelines for Accessible Communications. They provide more detail on video and animated graphics, thoughtful use of language and representation, and hosting of physical and virtual events.

We talk about making our processes and materials more accessible and at times we even take steps on a specific project to make sure they are. But accessibility is seldom a core value that is delivered on. And yet the numbers of people impacted are staggering globally:

• Over 400 million people have severe hearing loss
• Nearly 300 million people are visually impaired
• Nearly 200 million people have cognitive disability
• People with disabilities make up 15% of the World’s population
• People with disabilities control nearly $13 Trillion worth of buying power

Understanding the importance of accessible communications will force us as communications professionals to pay greater attention to engaging people with disabilities in our processes and materials. And accessible communication benefits all audiences, making information clear, direct, and easy to understand.

Guest: George Coleman, CEO, Current Global
Link to Current Global’s Making communications accessible by design
Link to the PRCA Accessible Communications Guidelines

George loves telling stories. Big, tall or short. He’s been doing it for more than 25 years for some of the world’s most iconic brands. He started his career as an electronics engineer, but craved a more creative canvas, and made the leap into marketing communications. Following a stint at the BBC, he joined his first PR agency and the rest, as they say, is LinkedIn profile history.

He founded Interpublic Group agency Creation in 2011 and served as global president, before teaming up with Current Marketing to form Current Global in 2019.

Outside of work he’s often found in his vegetable patch or brewing beer. He’s also a film fanatic, collects original cinema posters and has a cat called Butch Cassidy and a dog called Sundance. 

Email George: gcoleman@currentglobal.com
Connect with George on Twitter @theprmonkey 

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