Jamie Tanner is the New York Times first accessibility visuals editor with the role of making visuals accessible to all. Since joining in 2022, she has progressed for explaining the benefits to being the go-to resource for teams to check accessibility of upcoming articles and polls.
I noted in reading the article that a little education, engagement with the community and small process changes have led to significant improvements for readers. It highlights that a little change can have significant impact, and that we are all empowered to help drive these small changes.
Next time you a writing a social post or email, have a go at adding Alt Text to help disabled people feel included. Check out https://www.accessible-social.com/ if you aren't sure where to start.
“I tended to overexplain early on,” she said of her first few months at The Times. “I would say, ‘This is important for this reason and will benefit our audience in this way.’” Ultimately, she found that Times journalists were eager to learn about how they could make articles and visuals accessible to readers with disabilities. (At least one in four adults in the United States live with at least one disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
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