We’re thrilled that our new self-assessment tool, the Be. Starter Package is supporting Aktive with their goal to make Tāmaki Makaurau the most active city in the world.
Aktive has the goal of making Tāmaki Makaurau the most active city in the world – a small team with a big mission, much like us here at Be. Lab. We’re delighted that Be. Starter could provide a basis for them to more effectively connect with the one in four Kiwis who have a disability as they work towards this goal.
We sat down with Aktive’s Inclusion Advisor, Jenna King, to find out about their experience of using our self-assessment tool, and the value that the Be. Starter Package can bring to businesses.
A key part of Aktive’s kaupapa is ensuring everyone has equitable access to participation in sport and active recreation, and as such, accessibility is central to the work they do. Even as an organisation that was already thinking about accessibility, they found the self-assessment brought their attention to things they hadn’t considered before, especially outside the realm of physical access.
Be. Starter encourages organisations to adopt a holistic approach to accessibility by covering key areas of the visitor or customer journey. One of the areas covered in the assessment is online communications and marketing, and through this Aktive identified the significance of advancing accessibility within their digital landscape – including website, social media platforms and online communications. Be. Starter provided valuable insights, boosting their confidence to plan accessibility advancements in these areas.
The assessment has also encouraged them to think more broadly about how accessibility fits into partnerships, training, and customer service. This is an area where they are motivated to start embedding new practices, and they are now thinking about how they can support their wider communities to champion accessibility too.
Jenna says a stand-out about the report was that it went beyond simply presenting answers, and prefaced each section by providing context around how the disability community is impacted by inaccessibility in each area in question (e.g. transport, evacuation procedures etc). They also appreciated how the report was organised, starting at quick wins, and then moving up to things that require more planning.
Having the report laid out in this way has been helpful when talking with the wider team. Setting the scene with information and examples will make it easy for everyone to see how accessibility fits into all aspects of Aktive’s mahi. Jenna anticipates the value will be long lasting, as they now have a document to reference throughout their journey.
Be. Starter begins each section of the report by celebrating what you are doing well. Aktive believe the positive language and strengths-based approach would be a real game-changer in getting organisation-wide engagement – something we know is a huge asset when driving innovation.
Jenna points out that traditional accessibility audits can be daunting, especially for small organisations just starting out. “They can appear to be a scorecard of what you’re missing or doing poorly, so to have it framed in a positive and encouraging way is a breath of fresh air.”
With their accessibility report in hand, Aktive feel even more prepared to reach their goal of an active Auckland and encourage organisations to take the first step, no matter where they are on their journey.
The Be. Starter Package is perfect for to small-medium sized businesses who are motivated to become more accessible but may have limited time and budget.
The package contains:
If you’re looking to take the first step, head to our Be. Starter page.
And if you have questions, view our comprehensive FAQ page or get in touch with our friendly team today.