In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), we sat down with our Chief Information Officer, Mike Caprara, to discuss why digital accessibility is essential to an inclusive workplace. The 2026 NDEAM theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” recognizes the valuable skills and contributions people with disabilities bring to the American workforce. For organizations, creating accessible digital experiences is an important part of removing barriers and helping employees contribute their talents. Mike shares his insights on the role technology and digital accessibility can play in creating greater opportunity and how The Viscardi Center works with organizations to advance more accessible and inclusive digital environments.
Here’s what Mike had to say about making workplaces more accessible, equitable, and inclusive through digital accessibility.
- From your perspective, how does digital accessibility contribute to opening those opportunities for individuals with disabilities?
Digital Accessibility is a critical enabler for individuals with disabilities to access quality jobs and thrive in their careers and aligned perfectly with the theme. It breaks down barriers and fosters an inclusive labor market where everyone has the tools and support to succeed. Digital accessibility plays an important role in opening job opportunities for candidates with disabilities, by creating wider access to remote work opportunities and equitable participation in the job market. Accessible websites, applications, and remote work tools enable individuals with mobility, vision, hearing, or cognitive disabilities to work from home or access jobs that otherwise might have been physically inaccessible. - In your experience, how has improving digital accessibility transformed the ability of employees with disabilities to fully participate and advance in their careers?
Improving digital accessibility has transformed the careers of employees with disabilities by fostering independence, opening career advancement paths, enhancing collaboration, and ensuring that all employees can thrive in their work environments. This transformation builds a more inclusive workforce, where talent and potential are the focus—not physical or cognitive limitations. For example, eliminating flashing images for users prone to epilepsy or seizures, minimizing distractions for those with ADHD, and designing websites and applicant tracking systems that are fully navigable by keyboard alone go a long way toward ensuring that hiring practices are inclusive for everyone, including people with disabilities. - What advice would you give to organizations looking to improve their disability inclusion practices, especially in terms of digital accessibility?
Improving disability inclusion through digital accessibility requires a multifaceted approach. By embedding accessibility into your organization’s culture, technology, and hiring practices, you create an environment where everyone has equal access to opportunities. Key steps include conducting an accessibility audit to identify barriers across digital platforms; incorporating accessibility from the start of each design process; providing assistive technologies like screen readers and text-to-speech converters; and ensuring an inclusive hiring process, with WCAG-compliant application portals and accommodations during interviews. These steps help build an inclusive workplace where all employees and candidates can be successful and fully participate in the work experience. - What role does The Viscardi Center play in helping companies create inclusive digital environments that lead to better employment opportunities for youth, adults and veterans with disabilities?
The Viscardi Center has partnered with a number of companies throughout the U.S. looking to improve their digital accessibility and disability inclusion practices. We work with organizations to conduct accessibility audits of their digital platforms, tools, and workflows. This includes reviewing websites, mobile apps, intranets, and other technology used by their employees and/or customers. Our detailed assessments highlight areas where companies can improve to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and create more user-friendly digital environments for people with disabilities. The Viscardi Center has positioned itself to be a “Solution Provider” for all Digital Accessibility Services. If your organization does not have the resources to perform the necessary remediation of your digital assets then The Viscardi Center can provide you with the appropriate solution based on platform, technology, wants/needs, and ultimately budget. - Looking ahead, what are the goals or aspirations for The Viscardi Center in advancing disability employment and inclusion beyond NDEAM?
Employments is one of The Viscardi Center’s 3Es, education and empower round them out. The Center’s on-going efforts to foster inclusive workplace cultures, advocate for policy change, and leverage technology to remove barriers increase employment pathways for the disability community we serve and at large. Our efforts aim to create a workforce where people with disabilities have equal access to meaningful, well-paying jobs and the chance to grow into leadership positions. As digital transformation continues to reshape the labor market, we, at The Viscardi Center, are committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are not left behind, but instead, are empowered to fully participate and succeed in achieving employment and financial independence.
Our conversation with Mike was a promising look into the future of accessible work environments. Digital accessibility is a foundation of inclusive practices, but as Mike highlighted, it’s also about creating spaces where potential and skills can flourish without barriers. The Viscardi Center is proud to play a part in helping companies build these spaces, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve as we work toward a workforce that truly values diversity and inclusion.
To learn more about how we help your organization create pathways to opportunity for everyone, visit our Digital Accessibility Services webpage or reach out at daservices@viscardicenter.org. We look forward to helping your organization create pathways to opportunity for everyone.
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Michael Caprara Chief Information Officer, The Viscardi Center |