Can Your Patients Use Your Website? How to Evaluate the Accessibility of Your Online Presence
Speaker
Michelle Eckert is a front-end developer with 14 years’ experience in web design, marketing and communications, and digital accessibility at the University of Pennsylvania. She currently works as a project manager in the Penn Dental Medicine IT department where she leads initiatives to make PDM’s digital spaces more inclusive to all. Michelle is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies as recognized by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).
In her free time, Michelle is an avid gardener passionate about cultivating biodiversity in her pint-sized West Philadelphia yard. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking international cuisines, urban foraging, and generally exploring the world with her husband and daughter.
Disclosure: Ms. Eckert has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Course Description
Before a prospective patient ever steps foot in your office, they're likely to go online to scope out your practice. You may have a beautiful, professional-looking site, but what if the visitor literally cannot use it? Odds are low they'll book that first appointment, let alone trust you long-term with an essential aspect of their health. An inaccessible website can exclude a significant portion of the population from your practice. Accessibility not only ensures that everyone can use your site, but also communicates your values, differentiates you from your peers, and builds trust from the start. This presentation will introduce participants to technologies and techniques that persons with disabilities use online every day. Participants will understand the traits of a highly accessible site, learn how to spot common barriers hiding in plain sight, and get practical tips for communicating with vendors. This will be a beginner-friendly talk, with no coding experience needed.
Educational Objectives
1. Identify digital accessibility barriers and describe characteristics of an accessible website.
2. Perform a basic accessibility evaluation of their own website.
3. Make informed decisions when hiring a designer/developer or choosing a template.
Contact
For information, please contact Penn Dental Medicine Continuing Dental Education at:
PDMContinuingEd@dental.upenn.edu.
Refund Policy
If a Registration Refund, Substitution and Cancellation Policy is not specifically stated on the registration fee page for the course, written refund requests (minus a $50 administration fee or 20%, whichever is less) will be honored if received by four working days prior to a given course. Penn Dental Medicine is not responsible for the refund of any part of the tuition as a result of emergencies, unforeseen circumstances, events beyond its control, or no-shows.
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider.
ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine designates this activity as 1.50 continuing education credits.