E37: Thinking Beyond Transcripts: How to Make Accessible Digital content with Jennifer Brown

Episode 37 Featured Image Jennifer Brown
Small Stage, Big Impact
Small Stage, Big Impact

Are you tired of bro marketing, manipulative algorithms, and sales funnels that encourage you to ‘trip’ a prospect to make her buy more? Then you’re in the right place.

On Small Stage, Big Impact veteran digital strategist, Renia Carsillo, combines solo teaching episodes with interviews to help you learn how to build a sustainable, people-first digital strategy that works for your business. Along the way, she speaks to digital activists, upstart developers, badass content creators, brave community leaders, and other behind-the-scenes folx you probably haven’t heard on a podcast before. To help you answer one important question:

How do we do better digital (#DoBetterDigital) so we can be better humans?

37: Thinking Beyond Transcripts: How to Make Accessible Digital content with Jennifer Brown
byLourenia Carsillo

What would you do if you knew your content wasn’t reaching 20% of your audience?

In today’s episode, we talk with Deaf writer and disability rights activist Jennifer Brown. As Jennifer explains, most disabled people come into activism through necessity, not desire. She and many others have spent their lives fighting for accessibility to things that many of us take for granted. Things like education. Healthcare. Entertainment. 

And digital content.

The adult disabled community accounts for over 20% of the population. That is over 1 in 5 people who rely on things like captions and screen readers just to live their lives.

Is your content accessible? Or are you missing out on touchpoints with a large part of your audience?

If we want to #DoBetterDigital, then we have to create content that our ENTIRE audience can access.

That could be the blind woman. The deaf man. The mom watching your live video while her baby sleeps. The student learning English by reading captions. 

Accessibility isn’t about being “PC.” Accessibility is about being better. 

Being a better digital marketer.

Being a better business owner.

Being a better human. 

In today’s episode, Jennifer tells us exactly what we need to do to #DoBetterDigital. And if you think you just can’t afford to create accessible content? Jennifer has an answer for that too. 

Listen now.

In episode 37 of Small Stage, Big Impact we discuss:

  • [6:37] Jennifer’s biggest wish in terms of accessibility and activism
  • [8:43] The number one thing people can do to help create a more accessible society
  • [11:19] How businesses are hurting their bottom line by not being more accessible
  • [13:17] Some simple first steps every business can take to become more accessible to their audience
  • [14:48] Why you should pay special attention to alt text for images to make it truly useful
  • [18:35] How hashtags are a stumbling block for accessibility – and a simple fix!
  • [21:20] How the cost of ADA-compliance is the cost of doing business, just like compliance with any other law.
  • [26:10] The best way to make podcasts accessible for the deaf community
  • [39:27] How accessibility and equity are intersectional and cover multiple types of experience 

Resources mentioned by Jennifer and Renia in the episode:

What would you do if you knew your content wasn’t reaching 20% of your audience?

In today’s episode, we talk with Deaf writer and disability rights activist Jennifer Brown. As Jennifer explains, most disabled people come into activism through necessity, not desire. She and many others have spent their lives fighting for accessibility to things that many of us take for granted. Things like education. Healthcare. Entertainment. 

And digital content.

The adult disabled community accounts for over 20% of the population. That is over 1 in 5 people who rely on things like captions and screen readers just to live their lives.

Is your content accessible? Or are you missing out on touchpoints with a large part of your audience?

If we want to #DoBetterDigital, then we have to create content that our ENTIRE audience can access.

That could be the blind woman. The deaf man. The mom watching your live video while her baby sleeps. The student learning English by reading captions. 

 

Accessibility isn’t about being “PC.” Accessibility is about being better. 

 

Being a better digital marketer.

 

Being a better business owner.

 

Being a better human. 

 

In today’s episode, Jennifer tells us exactly what we need to do to #DoBetterDigital. And if you think you just can’t afford to create accessible content? Jennifer has an answer for that too. 

Listen now.

Episode 37 Recap

  • [6:37] Jennifer’s biggest wish in terms of accessibility and activism
  • [8:43] The number one thing people can do to help create a more accessible society
  • [11:19] How businesses are hurting their bottom line by not being more accessible
  • [13:17] Some simple first steps every business can take to become more accessible to their audience
  • [14:48] Why you should pay special attention to alt text for images to make it truly useful
  • [18:35] How hashtags are a stumbling block for accessibility – and a simple fix!
  • [21:20] How the cost of ADA-compliance is the cost of doing business, just like compliance with any other law.
  • [26:10] The best way to make podcasts accessible for the deaf community
  • [39:27] How accessibility and equity are intersectional and cover multiple types of experience 

Resources Mentioned in Episode 37

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Small Stage, Big Impact is hosted by Renia Carsillo (that’s me!). I am hardcore passionate and committed to bringing the systems and strategies that give big brands an unfair advantage to local businesses. For that reason, I created the Local Rock Star Intensive, where I help local business owners use their small stage to have a BIG impact. Thank you for being here and reading this far!

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