Remarkable World Commentary Episode #31: The Third Party Trauma

TRANSCRIPT: Podcast Commentator: Greetings.   Podcast Commentator: Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ASP, and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible.   Donna Jodhan: Hello there. My name is Donna Jill Jodhan, and I am the host of the remarkable biweekly World Commentary, a podcast that I use to express my thoughts, my comments, my suggestions, my concerns, my feedback, my everything. Folks. I am an advocate. I am an author, blogger. Site loss coach. Dinner mystery writer and producer, entrepreneur, law graduate and podcast commentator. I'm very privileged and I'm very honored to be able to produce this podcast and to be able to use my rules by so many different rules to share my opinions with you. And I'd like to thank you for dropping by to listen, and please do not hesitate to reach out to me at Donna Jordan at gmail.com. That's E o n n a. J o d h a n at gmail.com. And thank you to my friend and associate, Erin Blazing. Erin is across the border in the United States and I am here in Canada. So what's on my mind for today? It's all about third party trauma. Trauma. I like to call this the third party trauma. Okay. Yeah. So, you know, a lot of third parties are hired by government departments in Canada and by companies, high profile companies in Canada to help them develop their websites or maintain their websites. But truth be told, a lot of the third parties that are hired really are unaware. Or I wouldn't like to use the word ignorant, but they are unaware, totally unaware of the meaning of the term accessibility. They claim to be accessibility experts, but in truth and reality they are not. They have no clue. No idea what usability, accessibility and navigation, navigation or navigation nav ability really means. They only focus on those things that are in inaccessible, unusable.   Donna Jodhan: But at the same time, they don't really know how to go about dealing with it. They are unable to help with accessibility requirements. Online processes and complaints systems within the Canadian government and even within many companies within Canada that are federally governed remain inaccessible, unusable, and very difficult to navigate. And why is this? Because third parties don't really know what they're doing. A lot of them are unaware. And when you talk to them about it, they probably throw up their hands and they say, you know what? We developed this. We are not going to go back. Even if you ask them to do a retrofit, it's not going to work. No, it's not going to work. So my call today is for government departments within the Canadian government and high profile, federally governed companies within the Canadian system to please take a look at the third parties you hire to make sure that websites are navigable. Like what at this time? Navigable, usable and accessible Awareness and education needs to be the order of the day. For these third party developers. They'll get it. I know they will. But you got to convince them that it is necessary. Do not hire a third party because they say they know what they're doing when it comes to accessibility, usability, and never give you no navigation. Please listen to what I'm saying. Take heed and let's work together. I wish you a great day. I hope you enjoyed my podcast for today. Thank you very much for coming in to listen to me, and I will see you the next time. Stay safe and stay well. Bye for now.   Podcast Commentator: Donna wants to hear from you and invites you to write to her at Donna Jodhan at gmail.com. Until next time.