Monet Sanchez

Professor Kelli Lycke

Best Practices Guide Outline

November 21, 2022

ABSTRACT

This guide should inform public relations teams in collegiate level sports about the lack of
accessible materials within media, and seeks to overview how information can be presented
with convenience to disability communities. It will explain what a “digital strategy” is for
professionals, and a detailed list of objectives to include within this strategy. This guide begins
with a brief history of the issue, ethical considerations, a literary review, and finally a guide
composed of five main points to consider when creating a digital strategy. These points begin
with an analysis of Types of Disabilities, Use of Proper Language, Collaborating with Disability
communities, Assistive Tool programs, and finally the Digital Strategy.

POSITIONALITY STATEMENT

Monet Sanchez is a freshman student at the University of Arizona, with a prospective interest in
Public Relations, and will be majoring in Communications. Prior to this assignment, she had
very little knowledge about the following research and the inaccessible information being
distributed through small and major industries. In gathering sources, she used a range of
popular, academic, and primary texts. Primary texts included personal video and blog accounts,
while academic and popular sources were derived from the University of Arizona’s database
and peer reviewed articles.

After viewing cases of individuals who cannot access information due to a severe lack of
knowledge and effort by companies, Sanchez believes there is a moral standing in drawing
attention to this issue. Public relations is an industry contingent upon building relationships with
members of their audience. Around 1.58 billion people worldwide are faced with some form of
disability (Ghannami, Saheed). And it would seem that a significant portion of this audience is
being excluded, whether intentionally or not.

In light of this, every brand, business, or company should adopt practices to include all
members of their audience, beginning with steps held either similar or directly to this document.
More specifically, sports media and entertainment is a field Yet in order to properly implement
the later solutions, professionals must first see the entirety of the problem.
HISTORY OF INACCESSIBLE INFORMATION

When it comes to designing websites that work in tandem with accessibility tools, companies
are not properly informed as they create their platforms. Today, news and current events are
more prominently spread through television, radio, and of course, the internet. Websites are one
of the primary sources of information, and yet they are not designed to include people living with
disability.

According to the Global Economics of Disability Report, only 4% of businesses are mindful of
people with disabilities and making their information accessible (Remund, David). Examples of
poor accessibility design are ubiquitous, but here are the most common scenarios:

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
To the extent that nearly 1.58 billion people around the globe are unable to easily access
information, it should give pause to professional communicators and how they hold the power of
information (Cipr-Influence). Information that is withheld, even in the context of ignorance, is a
serious issue to ponder. What does it say about an industry that is predicated on informing
audiences, and yet, parts of their audience are excluded and thus not fully informed? There are
seven main types of PR, but the groups most responsible for this change will be within the
community relations and corporate/social responsibility sectors.

LITERATURE REVIEW

To combat the lack of awareness surrounding inaccessible media in Public Relations,

this project will seek to review four main topics that are struggling within that field. A brief
comparison and contrast will examine Methods of Improvement, Accessible Technology,
Accessible Language, and People Responsible.
In his article titled “How engaging people with disabilities in Public Relations helps
produce accessible communications that raises brand reputation,” author Saeed-Al Ghannami
challenges PR teams to improve their methods by bringing in disability communities. An
important point is that people with disabilities can actually become the head of efforts to design
with accessibility, and will have the best ideas and improvements to offer. Authors from
Cipr-influence also echoed similar sentiments saying “there needs to be more people with lived
experience actually helping to create accessible communication products and platforms.”
When discussing accessible technology, the best types of research came from
individuals living with disabilities. Angie Orlando and Tommy Edison - both of whom use these
features everyday - explain that assistive tools range from anywhere between certain types of
wording, to keyboard shortcuts, to entire software platforms (Orlando, Angie). Things like
alternative text, voice over, accessibility window toolbar, Finder, and Launchpad are all
connected to methods of improvement, as they are tools that need to be incorporated when
improving websites (Edison). Senior specialist Rachel Carver - who was the first blind woman to
receive accreditation - they suggest using tools such as text to speech, braille, large-print, sign
language at live press events, audio recordings, captions, image descriptions, and clear-cut
images or contrast, all of which can be built in through common software applications
(Schuman, Nicole).
 However, all these methods need some form of structure and guidelines. Sources written
by Vidali Amy examine the relationship between communicators and their audience and how
their use of “site-specific-rhetorical-work” increases the angle of accessibility. Because there is a
severe lack of leadership when it comes to connecting with communities of disability, she urges
PR teams to put themselves where problems are received (Vidali, Amy). This was also
discussed at length by David L Remund who labels the method as the
“Leader-Member-Exchange” theory. Forming direct relationships with recipients not only bolster
leadership and mutual trust, but gives communicators crucial insight into how they form their
strategies (Remund).
Similarly, authors discussed the value of proper language when building a more
accessible world. Gabi Mkhize recommends that PR professionals use phrases that uplift the
individual such as “a person living with disability,” as opposed to using a term like “disabled”
which reduces the individual to someone as non-functional. Similarly, Angie Orlando argued that
people who happen to have a disability are defined by society only within that term (Thorne,
Rebecca). An understanding of “people first” language, would shift this cultural norm and begin
validating communities living with disability instead of holding them back (Mkhize).

BEST PRACTICES

In the context of sports media and entertainment, professionals should first be aware of 5 main
subject areas.

1) Types of Disabilities
2) Use of proper language
3) Collaborating with Disability communities
4) Assistive Tool programs
5) Digital Strategy

Types of Disabilities
What is disability? Guidance from the CDC states that “A disability is any condition of the body
or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain
activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).

The first step to building accessible platforms is understanding the general types of disabilities
that impact communication:

When relaying sports content and media, PR teams need to consider what poor layout choices
combined make it impossible for the information to be communicated. For example, “Poor audio
+ no captions = no communication” (Miller, Rachel). For a deaf person, there are crucial aspects
of criteria that must be met in order for them to understand, such as strengthened audio and
captions. A blind person, however, will have different needs to be met, with speech to text
reading, also with enhanced audio. Having a general awareness about all types of disability, and
their individual needs gives professionals a starting point to begin basing their communication
around.

Use of Proper Language

Language shapes how certain issues are perceived. Sports media and PR teams are
responsible for implementing correct phrasing and terminology within their work. At the
collegiate level, this is especially important as young adults are impressionable to the language
around them.
When addressing the disability community, phrases should be uplifting and not degrading of the
individual (Mkhize, Gabi). For example, a person “living with disability” does not reduce the
individual to someone as non-functional like the term “disabled.” Instead, professionals should
familiarize themselves with the list following phrases known as “People First Language”:

➢ Avoid negative phrasing that suggests pain or discomfort, such as “suffers from.” Do not
try to describe the experience. Rather, craft positive phrasing that uplifts the individual,
and acknowledges their capabilities. For example, use “mobility aid” instead of “confined
to a wheelchair.”
 ➢ Avoid stereotypes and medical labels such as “patients,” or “the disabled.”

➢ Use a normal tone of voice. Never talk down or express pitying, or patronizing manners.

➢ Address persons experiencing disability directly, never talk around the individual, or
speak to them through the interpreter with them.

Collaborating with Disability communities

Sports media has an excellent reputation when it comes to partnering and sponsorships. The
time has come for the industry to channel that skill into building strong relationships with people
living with disability. Collegiate level sports can start by:

➢ Working with Disability cultural and resource centers, groups, and organizations on
campus. Figure out how they are currently accessing your sports programs, what they
are able to view, and what they have been excluded from.

➢ Partner with Campus Accessibility to inform the public regularly of the change being
created. Create an open space for feedback and review.

➢ Consider meeting with Disability publications

➢ Give the opportunity for people to specify their requests or needs. Set up a contact
phone number, email, and forms.

➢ Bring people living with disabilities onto PR teams. Ultimately, their experiences create
the solution. These solutions will take a great deal of trial and error, and disability
individuals should be the first to verify that information is accessible. Good policy making
and change begins with working directly with the parties who are affected. Hiring,
collaborating with, and highlighting disability communities will ultimately be the bedrock
of creating solutions.
Local intramural sports or club leagues can take a similar approach with instead exploring
deeper within the community, and maintaining communication with community centers for
disability.

Assistive Tool Programs

After successfully meeting with individuals and groups with disability, and hiring them onto PR
teams, the next step dives into the actual design of platforms and websites. Professionals in
sports media should understand that the website layout itself should be compatible and easy for
an assistive tool to navigate (Thorne, Rebecca). 64% of people using assistive tools have
reported “having problems consuming content” (Miller, Rachel).

➢ Be aware of what sorts of programs your audiences are using to navigate their websites,
and for what disability. For example, common assistive programs for the visually
impaired are JAWS and ZoomText. With this knowledge, PR teams can structure their
digital strategies to be compatible.

➢ Utilize high forms of technology to track human to computer interaction and gauge how
well a website’s layout is working.

If your website has videos, ensure that there is signing, enhanced audio quality, and visual and
saturation adjustable settings. The key is to ensure that images or video presentations are
compatible for all types of disabilities.

➢ Have audio recordings - in addition to having adjustable audio quality - for blind or
people with reduced vision
 ➢ Have alternative text (alt text) describing the appearance and function of images.
Include voice overs, minimize music and distracting background noises, clear fonts and
reasonable sizing, intentional page layouts, as well as headings and bullets.

➢ For those who are deaf or have reduced hearing, provide captions for any type of
multimedia, in addition to visual and saturation settings.

➢ Use bullet points within your sports messaging. This makes it easier to read for assistive
programs like JAWS and speech to text readers.

➢ Provide Drag and Drop via keyboard for users who don't use a mouse to navigate.
Keyboard shortcuts make it easier to select and drag content.

➢ Integrate a Reduced Motion feature for users who want to cut away pictures, transitions,
and videos, and get to the substance of your message.

Digital Strategy

To execute these steps sports media PR will have to craft a digital strategy.

A digital strategy focuses on using technology to improve performance, whether it's creating
new products, features, or reinventing a current procedure. It gives direction to an organization
to create new advantages and changes with technology - through a series of digital tactics.
Include the following when forming your plan:
 ➢ Consider the “rhetorical rhombus” when creating digital strategies. Instead of the
rhetorical triangle, the “rhetorical rhombus” emphasizes accessibility as an additional
rhetorical choice, when tailoring to audiences (Vidali, Amy). Half of the problem is the
lack of awareness - PR professionals haven’t even met a portion of their audience.

➢ Consider using resources like Microsoft Accessibility Fundamentals, Activity Alliance,

TextHelp, and Accessible Social

➢ Ensure that all digital strategies are within compliance with accessibility guidelines.
These types of technologies are ever evolving, and will need constant maintenance.
Improvements should be made and tailored to the audience’s needs (Rachel, Miller)

➢ Take your existing strategy for your sports content and coverage, and ask members of
your team who experience disability to point out the gaps.

REVIEW

The solution to creating fully accessible information in sports media is far from a simple fix. It is,
unfortunately, because there was never a solid foundation laid out to begin with. The PR
industry must reassess and start building foundations that should have been built long ago.

These changes to your digital strategy will take a significant amount of time and collaboration.
Before all else, take the time with your team and talk to Disability centers on and off campus.
Find people with real experiences, and pinpoint the areas in your current strategy that need the
most reform. Next, begin working with individuals living with disability, hire them on teams, and
come to them first when looking for solutions.

PR professionals are skeptical to changing their approach for three reasons (Goggin, Gerard):
 ➢ The industry is ill informed, most of them have never even met half their audience
➢ They lack the support to implement these methods
➢ Integrating accessible strategies on a full blown scale has never been done before

So how does the industry overcome these norms?

If your PR team in sports media is struggling to find a place to start, meet up with your local or
collegiate accessibility centers. This gives you opportunities to work directly with your audience.
Try finding a person living with a disability who might be interested in joining your team, and
allow their insight to guide your digital strategy.

When creating a digital strategy:

1) Research and meet with members of your audience

2) Partner with members of the disability community and collaborate with them
3) Move into reinventing features of your website, through a careful analysis of what your
audience's current needs and wants are.
4) When distributing sports content, understand how compatible it may or may not be with
assistive programs, and adjust the layout to fit this need.
5) Inform the public of the changes you are creating and raise awareness, while using
proper language
6) Check to see if your digital strategy is in compliance with accessibility guidelines. A great
place to start might be Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1).

Taking action on these best practices stem from a range of ethical and moral responsibilities
that PR professionals have within sports media. To share information with the public sphere is a
big task that requires trust, open communication, and a welcoming of all audiences. Afterall,
sports are rooted in the belief that society can gather collectively to enjoy entertainment and
partake in similar experiences. If anyone is unable to access or understand sports content at the
collegiate level, they are being withheld information, and are thus excluded. Without an aim to
implement accessibility within sports media, the industry is guilty of marginalizing parts of their
audience - whether intentionally or not.
For something that is not widely implemented, it will be a challenge - but a creative challenge.
Accessibility needs to be forefront, not an afterthought. In light of this, Public Relations teams
should rise to the challenge and begin viewing the issue not as an obstacle to their work, but as
an opportunity.

Sources

University of Arizona Communication Services Staff.

https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2013/11/20/209317483.aspx

University of Arizona Wildcats Sports. https://arizonawildcats.com

Cipr-Influence. “Why Public Relations Should Be More Accessible.” Influence Online.co.uk, May 19, 2022,
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Gerard Goggin & Christopher Newell (2007) The Business of Digital Disability, The Information Society,
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Ghannami, Saeed Al. “How Engaging People With Disabilities in Public Relations help produce
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Miller, Rachel. “PRCA Publishes New Accessible Communications Guidelines.” All Things IC, 25 Apr.
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Orlando, Angie. “Deaf, Blind, and Determined: The Meaning of Disability.” Blogger. August 11, 2017.

http://dotbug3.blogspot.com/2017/08/deaf-blind-and-determined.html

Remund, David L. “The ART of Responsible Communication : Leading with Values Every Day.” First ed.
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