Image Credit: Getty Images / Bilalulker

According to CDC, nearly 29 percent of adults in the United States have some form of disability. Some of these disabilities are easily discernible, such as those that affect a person’s mobility, but most are hidden from view: the Invisible Disabilities Association estimates that approximately 74 percent of Americans with significant disabilities do not use wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, or other conspicuous devices. These disabilities include but are not limited to anxiety, depression, limitations of sight or hearing, color blindness, autism, dyslexia, and learning differences.  

Among the millions worldwide who have disabilities are, of course, some AIHA members. A few of these members were interviewed about their experiences for a Synergist article published in November 2024. One hearing-impaired member described how closed captioning and assistive listening devices help her participate in webinars and conference presentations. Another who is autistic spoke about the challenges he faces when communicating with non-autistic (that is, allistic) people.  

These members’ stories help illustrate the role accessibility plays in AIHA’s mission. Removing barriers so that everyone can fully participate in our conferences, publications, communications, website, and other offerings enriches our entire community.  

As an organization, AIHA has made some strides in accessibility, though we still have work to do. Here are a few examples of recent, forthcoming, or potential accessibility improvements at AIHA:

AIHA.org. Staff recently upgraded the AIHA website to version 5 of Craft, our content management system. Craft is widely recognized for its accessibility features; in fact, when the World Wide Web Consortium—an international organization that develops standards for website accessibility—redesigned its website in 2020, it selected Craft as its CMS. Craft offers strong support for keyboard navigation and screen readers and allows users to adjust font size and color contrast.

Publications. Staff are converting several AIHA books and other publications to the EPUB format. These publications will comply with WCAG 2.2, the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. EPUBs feature text that automatically reflows to fit a reader’s screen and images that resize to the proportions of a user’s device, and they are “tagged” so that screen readers can follow the normal reading order of the file and describe images for users who are unable to see them clearly. Users of EPUB files can also change text size and adjust margins.  

The Synergist. The digital version of The Synergist resides on the Publi platform, which uses structured HTML code to better support screen readers; ensure a logical reading order; allow alternative text, also known as alt text, for images; and build responsive webpages that work on all devices. Beginning with the June/July 2026 issue, the full-issue Synergist PDFs available from the AIHA Marketplace include images tagged with alt text. Staff are also working to ensure that Synergist PDFs feature a logical reading order for screen readers to follow.

Courses. AIHA’s self-paced online courses incorporate closed captions for all audio and video content, descriptive alt text for images and graphics, high color contrast to improve visibility and readability, and screen-reader compatibility for accessible navigation and interaction with content.

AIHA Connect. AIHA holds a webinar for speakers at AIHA Connect that offers tips for making their presentations more accessible. The tips include using captions in videos, making text large enough to be read from across a room, running an accessibility check, and keeping in mind that some attendees may be colorblind.

Webinars and PDCs. Our webinars and virtual PDCs have automated captions to assist participants. Potential accessibility improvements that staff are exploring include reviewing autogenerated captions to improve their accuracy; conducting more robust testing of screen readers to validate their usability; optimizing keyboard navigation so the user is not dependent on a mouse; incorporating best practices for design of simulations, assessments, and interactive elements; enhancing PDFs with proper tagging, alt text, logical reading order, and searchable text; and formalizing ways for learners to report accessibility challenges and suggest improvements.

These are just a few of the ways AIHA is seeking to improve accessibility for our members and, by extension, visitors to our websites, readers of our publications, users of our documents, and attendees at our educational events. Our goal is continuous improvement while recognizing that the work of accessibility is never complete: it requires long-term commitment on the part of staff, the Board of Directors, our vendors, and our volunteers.  

Related:

The Synergist: “Experience with Hearing Loss,” reader letter (January 2025).

The Synergist: “Incorporating Equity Into Workplace Health and Safety: Accommodations for Disabled Workers” (September 2021).

The Synergist: “OEHS and Disability: Building a More Accessible and Accommodating Profession” (November 2024).

SynergistNOW: “Accessibility in Health and Safety Communication” (April 2025).

SynergistNOW: “Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace” (February 2025).