What Are Accommodations and Why Do They Matter for Print Service Providers?

If you are a Print Service Provider (PSP) you have an opportunity to do more for your customers. Because of the services you provide, and the unique data you print, you can be the accessibility partner your clients need. Plus, you can grow your own business while helping your transactional communications clients. Keep reading to learn more about accommodations and how they impact your business, your clients, and your client’s end users.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation is a complementary communication method. These aid clients who are unable to consume traditional print materials. These alternate formats make communications accessible to those with disabilities or other accessibility needs.

As a PSP, you partner with businesses that provide transactional communications. You print and send items like bills, invoices, statements, and more. So, your accommodations can be alternate accessible formats and digital formats.

What’s an alternative format?

Alternative formats are anything other than standard print. This includes braille, large print, or electronic text. This accommodation helps print-disabled individuals consume the original printed documents.

What’s an accessible document?

An accessible document is designed with accessibility in mind. It uses accessible fonts, colors, and layouts. Additionally, when creating these files, you should provide alternative text for images and ensure proper tagging for assistive technology.

Why do accommodations matter?

First and foremost, providing accessible communications is the right thing to do. Accommodations ensure that all individuals have equal access to information and can fully participate in communication. Beyond that, you protect your business from legal risks.

There is a legal precedent for accommodating customers with disabilities. These are enforced by laws like:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States,
• The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Ontario, Canada, and
• The Accessibility Act in the United Kingdom.
• Failing to accommodate customers with disabilities could result in legal action, negative publicity, and loss of business.

The opportunity for PSPs

Back to the central question, why does all of this matter for a PSP? As a PSP, you own the data and composition of client’s “print ready files.” That means you can do the accessibility work for them.

Many organizations think alternate formats must be established at the point of creation. But that’s not the case. As a PSP, you can remediate files into accessible, print ready formats. This saves your clients time, money, and effort. Plus, it lets you engage clients in a consultative manner and serves as a complimentary revenue stream for your business.

By selling accessibility, you can help your customers:

• Meet legal requirements for accessibility,
• Improve their customer satisfaction, and
• Demonstrate their commitment to inclusion and diversity.

Learn more about this in our second Selling Accessibility Webinar. Part two, “Educating Your PSP Clients,” will cover what you need to make sure your clients know about accessibility, accommodations, and more.
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