Table of contents:
Media strategy
The media, in all its forms, plays an important role in the success and uptake of policies. When designing media campaigns as part of national e-accessibility policies, it is important to adopt a multifaceted approach that covers the following elements: (1) target stereotypes about disability; (2) clearly explain the policy; (3) conduct media campaigns on e-accessibility, containing illustrative content, images and videos, and enlist media outlets to disseminate the message to their audiences; and (4) use social media to disseminate materials, images and short messages and videos, bearing in mind the specific nature of this type of media and the need to carefully adapt content to suit each different platform.
Media strategies to support national e-accessibility policies can take either a large-scale and comprehensive approach, or a more gradual one. All countries should include an appropriate media strategy within the implementation mechanisms for their national e-accessibility policy. The strategy should be tailored to local social norms and aligned with a typical Government budget for similar campaigns.
Template media strategy to support a national e-accessibility strategy:
- Establish concepts and reinforce the understanding of disability.
- As part of a rights-based approach, establish an understanding of persons with disabilities as a special and diverse group within society, thereby justifying the need for different platforms and environments for work and creative pursuits. This approach is centred on the following points:
- Disability is a social construct, not a medical condition; it arises from the interaction between individuals and the functional characteristics of their environment. For example, an individual’s circumstances may be exacerbated by their disability (such as vision loss or impairment of intellectual or motor functions) depending on their ability to integrate into a specific social environment.
- Persons with disabilities have the human right to be included in society. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The inclusion of persons with disabilities is an important goal in and of itself.
- Persons with disabilities are, like all other individuals, social beings. They thrive on social interaction, and they define themselves through their role in society. Inclusion is essential to ensure that the full and diverse potential of persons with disabilities is realized.
- Disability is a social construct, not a medical condition; it arises from the interaction between individuals and the functional characteristics of their environment. For example, an individual’s circumstances may be exacerbated by their disability (such as vision loss or impairment of intellectual or motor functions) depending on their ability to integrate into a specific social environment.
- Engage disability rights organizations and civil society organizations in designing and implementing the media strategy on e-accessibility, based on the “nothing about us without us” principle enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Define the type of media campaign, the timing of its launch, its duration and its target audience. The main models of media campaigns are as follows:
Long-term public awareness campaigns
The aim of these campaigns is to raise awareness of disability issues among the public, including persons with disabilities, with the aim of changing negative perceptions about persons with disabilities and encouraging positive recognition of their skills, needs and rights. It is important to recognize that this kind of change happens slowly.
Focused media campaigns
- Campaigns to change laws, policies and services related to e-accessibility
- Regular campaigns (such as a national e-accessibility awareness week)
- Awards and recognitions (such as an annual award for the service provider with the highest level of e-accessibility)
- Specialized conferences on e-accessibility
Social media campaigns
- Partnerships with social media influencers to communicate the aims of e-accessibility to their followers
- Partnerships with civil society associations to build a follower base for e-accessibility media campaign pages
Campaigns focused on standard e-accessibility templates
Launch a web page, a set of e-services and an application for smartphones and portable devices, all of which contain the full range of e-accessibility features, to be used as an example in media coverage.