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You are missing an entire audience every time you ignore this one key practice. According to the World Health Organization, you are missing approximately 16% of the global population, or 1.3 billion people. What is this key practice exactly? Accessibility.

Here, we have a coffee chat we recorded with Matisse Hamel-Nelis. You will learn a lot about non-profit organizations, in-house corporate roles and diversity, equity and inclusion communications.

July 16, 2022 is World PR Day and public relations and communications professional around the globe are recognizing and celebrating the industry they work in.  PR In Canada took some time to catch up with practitioners representing  the agency and client side to talk about the changing business of public relations as part of our latest series – What Public Relations Means To Me.

Durham College (DC) professor Matisse Hamel-Nelis has been recognized for her tireless commitment to accessibility in communications. PR News has named her one of their People of the Year in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Champion category. A professor in the PR and Strategic Communications program, she emphasizes the importance of making communication materials accessible to all.

May 19 marks the annual celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The day brings attention to the need for digital access and inclusion across communication, particularly for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments.

Consider your latest social media post. Does it have an image? Maybe it has a video. This is great content for people who are sighted, but what about someone who is blind, partially sighted or deaf? As communicators, we are always looking for the best way to have our message reach the most people; especially with social media outlets, we always find a creative way to share what we want. But do you ever think about how accessible the content you’re producing is to those with a disability? By not thinking about the accessibility of your content, you could be alienating a whole group of customers.

Did you know that approximately one in four Ontarians live with a disability? Or that 15 percent of the world’s population identifies as having a disability? The United Nations has called this demographic the world’s largest minority, and its numbers will only grow in the next 25 years as the population ages.

We live in a time where diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are at the forefront of corporate agendas and what we do as professional communicators. However, one critical aspect often overlooked is digital accessibility. It is a vital component that ensures the inclusivity of all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.

After an inspiring four days in New York City attending educational sessions and connecting with colleagues from all over the globe, IABC World Conference 2022 attendees have a plethora of words to fill in the blanks of “Communication can…”

With the PRNEWS Brand Reputation Summit coming up on May 23-24, we’re giving readers and soon-to-be attendees a chance to meet some speakers. The event covers issues surrounding brand reputation, crisis management and brand safety. In this brief Q&A, we caught up with speaker Matisse Hamel-Nelis, VP of Communications, AbleDocs to discuss how a brand’s digital accessibility can impact its reputation.