Agenda and minutes

To consider any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Richard Cotton, Lorna Greenwood and Sylvia McNamara.

No declarations were made.

There were no announcements.

There were no items of urgent business.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 2 May 2023.

RESOLVED –

THAT consideration of the minutes be deferred to the next meeting of the Panel.

Report of the Chief Experience and Information Officer.

The purpose of this report is to share the approach to making digital products

accessible and to seek support on building a network or community to assist with accessibility testing throughout the lifecycle of a digital product.

Consideration was given to the report of the Chief Experience and Information Officer.

After an introduction of the report by the Head of Digital Product and the Product Manager, the Panel discussed the report.

Members noted the importance of creating a system that worked properly for those with disabilities. They asked whether systems were in place to assist people with sensory disabilities to navigate the site and access the information they needed. The Product Manager said that it can be challenging working with third parties to ensure they have accessible services and information. The Head of Digital Product commented that any design that was not accessible would need to be changed, noting that often web pages were not designed to be accessible when created. People with accessibility needs should not be required to find a way to work around systems that do no work for them.

In response to a question from the Panel, the Head of Digital Product said that she was aware of projects that customer services were doing to share information better regarding those with disabilities and accessible methods of communication.

The Head of Digital Product informed the Panel that designers within Camden had attended courses around accessible design. There would be an easy read category on the site and the aim was to have the entire website be at a reading age of 9 years old ensuring that jargon was reduced.

Officers commented that Camden were held to a legal standard in regards to the accessibility of information and that, where possible, Camden would look to provide over and above the legal standard.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

There was no such business.