Hello all,
Language matters! The words we choose have substantial influence over how information and actions are understood by others. Saying something is red when it's clearly green can generate confusion or worse. Calling something deviant when it's simply an alternative can hinder use. And language usage and meanings shift through time, so what was once acceptable or reasonable can become problematic.
I know we are all working on improving the digital accessibility of resources on our campus, and perhaps we are thinking we have little time for other considerations—but I want to highlight a step SUNY Plattsburgh just took to make another change. In the process of converting more fillable documents into smarter, contextual, and auto-routed e-forms, the college decided to update the language as well.
This is part of the campus announcement email from our Academic Provost's Office: "Moving toward an electronic solution provides the opportunity to reconsider the process and to ensure that clear and inclusive language is used. Hence the title of the Deviation Form has been updated to be the Exception Request Form. This language has a more positive perspective and communicates a higher level of support. The ‘form’ continues to be an electronic approval process and is accessed from the Registration Dates & Forms page managed by the Registrar’s Office."
A simple change, and one that has the power to shift perceptions.
If you are involved in the technical aspects of accessibility, or are responsible for updating information to be more fully compliant and have influence on the content as well, this is a good opportunity to do more than one thing at a time!
All the best,
Holly
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