Statement of Intent
The Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA) is committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to our information and resources. We recognize that vestibular disorders affect people from all walks of life, and it is our responsibility to provide information that is accessible, understandable, and usable by everyone.
Vision
To increase our impact by building a welcoming and accessible environment for all who utilize, or wish to utilize, our services and by creating and retaining a team of staff and volunteers who represent the community we serve.
Goals
We strive to make our resources accessible to all individuals by doing the following:
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- Website Accessibility: Ensuring that our website meets or exceeds the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards (currently v2.1). This involves regular assessments and updates to our website to address potential accessibility barriers.
- Alternative Formats: Offering our educational materials in various formats including text, audio, and video to accommodate different preferences and needs. Providing captioning on our web pages so that users with visual or hearing impairments can access our content.
- Assistive Technologies: Ensuring that our website is compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers and magnifiers.
- Multiple Languages: Translating articles into several languages to grow our community beyond the English-speaking population to help more vestibular patients.
- Communication and Marketing Materials and Strategies: Ensuring these materials represent the broad range of patients with vestibular symptoms. Ensuring publications are accessible to those with a basic reading level and do not include images that can be visually triggering. Distributing these materials so that they are accessible regardless of walk of life or disability.
- Staff and Volunteers: Recruiting from a broad group of qualified candidates that represent the communities we serve. Ensuring that committee membership is representative of the community at large. Fostering a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable all employees and volunteers to contribute to their potential.
- Community Access and Engagement (CAE) Committee: Establishing a team consisting of at least one staff member, one Board of Directors member, and one volunteer member that monitors our adherence to this policy and reports to the Board of Directors at least annually on CAE status.
Roles and Responsibilities
All employees and volunteers have the responsibility to maintain an environment that is respectful and productive. Staff and volunteers should display a positive commitment to an accessible environment.
Measures of Success
The following achievements will be indicative of our success at the CAE goals:
- Our website meets or exceeds current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standards.
- Our annual conference contains live captioned videos and written transcripts.
- 5-10 articles are translated into at least 2 languages other than English annually.
- Members of the vestibular community report ease of accessing our materials and resources.
- Board, staff, and volunteers are representative of the vestibular community and report satisfaction with the opportunities and accommodations made available to them.
- A report is provided to the Board of Directors at least annually on adherence to the CAE Policy.
Contact Information
We value feedback from our community and encourage individuals to report any accessibility issues they encounter. This feedback is essential for us to make continuous improvements to our resources and services.
For assistance or to provide feedback regarding accessibility, please contact us.
We are committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to the information and support they need to manage vestibular disorders effectively.
Updated March 2025