Wandke Accessibility, a local business with an international reach, advocates for accessibility for all, offering services that “empower businesses and organizations that are ready to incorporate access and inclusion of disabled people into their best practices.” In their own words, “We are a company owned and led by disabled people who not only understand what the disability community needs to prosper but what businesses and organizations need to do and the beliefs they need to embody in order to become allies in providing equitable opportunities for disabled people to thrive.”
Founder-consultant Daman Wandke (and teacher of disability studies at Western Washington University) is passionate about making digital spaces more accessible. He shares, “We do training, audits, and the technical side of digital accessibility. Most people, when they think of accessibility, think of physical accessibility. They don’t necessarily think of digital accessibility, that people with disabilities need to be able to access digital products. This has become more and more important, especially during Covid.”
Founder Daman Wandke
While Wandke Accessibility works on many diverse projects, one Daman is especially excited about is the partnership with PolicyWorks. “They’re a peer-mentoring network that provides training to mentors to who are mentoring young adults with disabilities,” Daman explains. “We’ve built accessible digital platforms to help with that.”
While Wandke Accessibility is currently partnering with larger community and government agencies, Daman notes that he still enjoys working with nonprofits and small businesses. “I try to make it affordable,” he says. “You can see the impact of the work quicker with the little guys, and it takes longer with the bigger guys. We also teach trainers and developers to implement accessibility so they can continue the work.”
Washington State’s Disability History Month is observed every October, aligning with National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The month is dedicated to promoting awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the contributions of individuals with disabilities, particularly focusing on educating students and the broader community about disability history, rights, and inclusion. You can learn more about this month, as well as Wandke Accessibility, here.
Sustainable Connections is honored to have benefited from Wandke Accessibility’s training and is excited to have them as a business member.