Initiative Description
The collaborative project outlined for this report involves education and development of best practices for public education through video production and dissemination. Wisconsin’s Assistive Technology Program (WisTech) partnered with the Governor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (GCPD), the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH), the Office of the Secretary for the Governor, and internal Information Technology (IT) staff within the Department of Health Services (DHS). Two major video projects occurred during this past funding year. WisTech’s technical assistance involvement for the video projects described below was critical to ensure that each video was fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, specifically anyone using assistive technology to access the final products. This included guidance on the use of both open and closed captions, script development, voice overs, video descriptions for visual content, and the use of plain language. The first video project, in collaboration with the GCPD, was used to document the statewide barriers to healthcare that individuals with disabilities faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who were impacted were interviewed to share their experiences related to receiving care and provider access such as limited face-to-face appointments and inability to have an advocate or others along for medical appointments. This video targeted individuals with disabilities, family and/or caregivers, the medical or healthcare community, and legislators or policy makers. The funding utilized was internal to DHS and included the staff time from DHS and the IT department as well as members of the GCPD. Governor Tony Evers participated in this video project to stress the critical nature of these barriers and assurances of improvements around the issues raised.
The second video project collaboration was in partnership with ODHH and the purpose of the video was to provide education and awareness for assistive technology solutions for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. This video targets individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, family members, service providers, and the community in general, by highlighting the options available to increase independence and improve community access. The funding utilized was internal to DHS and included the staff time from all WisTech, ODHH, and the IT department.
Lessons Learned/Replication
The primary result of this collaboration would be difficult to measure quantitively since the outcome was the establishment of best practices for the distribution of public information through video production. Additionally, since the collaborative projects, the Governor’s Office has become fully aware of the need for full access in communications with Wisconsin’s citizens. Video production in general, from this point forward, will incorporate these accessibility features. DHS staff from the IT department gained Information and Communications Technology (ICT) knowledge, which will transfer to all future projects that they are involved with. The GCPD #Access4All video project raised and validated the concerns that members of the GCPD were able to identify during the COVID-19 pandemic surrounding equal access to healthcare. #Access4All Video Link. The ODHH Assistive Technology (AT) for Hearing Loss video project increased access to general knowledge about AT devices as well as the locations where this technology can be demonstrated or loaned through the WisTech Loan and Demonstration program. ODHH AT for Deaf and Hard of Hearing video link. These partnerships were successful due to the united desire to create and distribute accessible public information. This partnership highlighted the need to consider accessibility at the very beginning of a project. For example, several key accessibility requirements were not considered when initial drafts of the videos were created. This necessitated the need for several revisions to the videos, creating extra work for everyone involved. Moving forward, WisTech and ODHH have met to discuss the creation of additional videos to highlight other areas of assistive technology. A draft script for a Vision Loss AT video has been developed in collaboration with the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired (OBVI), also part of the Department of Health Services.