Back when you were choosing your current website or communications platform vendor, your salesperson probably assured you that their product was “built with best accessibility practices in mind” or to “digital accessibility standards.”
But that doesn’t mean that your website is accessible just because it’s built on a platform that supports accessibility. Accessibility isn’t just about what the platform can do; it’s also about what your staff actually puts in it.
Think of accessibility like running a theater. Developers are the theater builders and engineers. They design the stage, install lighting, rig the sound system, and make sure the seating is comfortable and navigable. In the digital world, this means coding the platform, building menus and forms, ensuring compatibility with screen readers, and meeting technical accessibility standards like WCAG. They create a space that can host a performance for everyone.
Content creators, on the other hand, are your actors, directors, and set designers. In schools, these are the staff who write newsletters, post on social media, upload PDFs, create videos, and manage internal communications. They craft the content and deliver the “performance” that parents, staff, and the community actually interact with.
Here’s the catch: even the most ornate and beautiful theater won’t help an audience if the actors don’t know how to perform. Content creators need to know accessibility best practices — like writing readable text, adding descriptive alt text to images, tagging PDFs, captioning videos, and using clear links — to make sure every member of the audience can understand and use the content.
The risks of not training content creators are real:
- Parents or staff can’t access critical information, causing confusion or missed deadlines.
- Legal risk: inaccessible content can trigger complaints under laws like the ADA or Section 504.
- Reputation damage: if community members struggle to read your newsletters or navigate your site, trust and engagement drop.
- Wasted platform investment: even the most accessible platform is only as good as the content it delivers.
Unfortunately, content creators usually aren’t trained in accessibility. They’re juggling multiple roles, working under tight deadlines, and often assume that if the platform is “accessible,” the content is automatically accessible too. Without guidance and clear standards, accessible content can easily fall through the cracks.
The key difference: Developers make the theater capable of hosting a show. Content creators put on the show that the audience can actually enjoy. Accessibility only works when both roles do their part. A perfectly built theater won’t matter if actors miss cues, props are unlabeled, or the script is confusing.
When content creators understand accessibility, your digital “performance” becomes inclusive, usable, and effective — reaching parents who are scanning a QR code on their phone, translating content for families who speak other languages, or navigating your website without much technical experience. Accessibility isn’t just a technical feature; it’s a mindset and a habit. And in the school communications world, it’s essential for everyone to see and hear your message clearly
