Why is this important?
Inclusive public awareness involves clearly sharing information about the draft standard and how to take part. Information should be easy to find, easy to understand, and shared in accessible formats so D/deaf and D/disabled people know about the process and how to give feedback.
Actions
Explore actions for public awareness :
Plan what to do if goals aren’t met
Long-term Actions
- Decide ahead of time what you will do if participation goals are not reached.
- Consider extending the comment period, changing your outreach approach, or building new relationships with groups that were not well represented.
- Set clear “minimum” targets, for example: number of participants, or key groups that must be included.
- Check progress early so you still have time to adjust.
- If you’re missing key voices, pause and fix the outreach instead of moving forward anyway.
- Ask community partners why people didn’t participate and what would make it easier next time.
- Add new accessible engagement options, like phone calls, short sessions, or one-on-one interviews.
- Extend timelines if needed, especially for reviewing documents.
- Document what didn’t work and what you changed, so the process improves over time.
Barriers these actions address
- Difficulty receiving and communicating information
- Inaccessible digital collaboration tools
- Lack of clear and accessible onboarding process
Promote standards in the communities they affect
Long-term Actions
- Work with D/deaf, D/disabled, under-representated and local community organizations to share new standards.
- Host community briefings, workshops, or explainer sessions to make the standards easier to understand.
- Provide toolkits in digital and print formats that explain the standards in plain language.
- Show how the standards can be applied in real-life situations and how people can use them to advocate for change.
- Use multiple communication channels such as social media, newsletters, and community boards to reach different groups.
- Offer translations, captions, or sign language/interpretation versions to make sessions inclusive.
- Encourage feedback from the community on how well the standards meet their needs.
- Highlight success stories where communities used standards to make a positive impact.
Barriers these actions address
- Publishing standards does not guarantee awareness or access
- Recruiting for diversity