FCB Health New York’s Director of Digital Inclusion Sammy Noorani and Creative Director of Innovation Yzabelle Munson recently joined MM+M to discuss how health marketers can better serve people with disabilities.
Sammy noted that, while technology can be a helpful tool for people with disabilities, there is often a lack of understanding of web accessibility guidelines. He also said he hopes to see the industry further utilize assistive technologies like screen readers or voice-enabled chatbots.
“Even though most people are aware of the physical and social challenges faced by members of the disabled community, many people don’t understand the attitudinal challenges,” Sammy said. “We need to increase our understanding and knowledge of the disabled community.”
Yzabelle, who is currently working to explore how digital innovation can help patients and caregivers more efficiently receive information, emphasized that each person is different and nuances should be considered when building materials.
“We build our materials for everyone first; we have to be inclusive and accessible, then we start getting more information to determine such things as the types of disability we need to address and where the patient is in their journey,” Yzabelle said.
She added that conferences are a great resource for marketers to learn about the latest trends in technology and innovation.
“Everyone — whether you’re in editorial, copy or technology — needs to think with empathy and make sure we’re building for every individual.” Yzabelle said.
