Jonathan Hassell
Jonathan Hassell’s 19 years of experience in digital accessibility is just one of the reasons why he’s become a recognized expert in this space. Creating the internationally recognized ISO 30071-1 web accessibility standard is the other.
When he’s not running his business, Hassell Inclusion, Jonathan is an author, consultant, and speaker on a variety of technology topics. Some of his most notable published work includes Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide, Inclusive Design for Organisations, Learning PowerShell, and Inclusive Design for Products.
His work has also appeared in publications such as PC Pro, TechNet Magazine, and Windows IT Pro, making his name recognizable in the tech space, worldwide.
About His Career
Prior to founding Hassell Inclusion, Jonathan served as the chair of the board of trustees at Stagetext, ensuring it fulfilled its governance responsibilities.
Stagetext aims to improve the accessibility of cultural and arts venues for people who have hearing disabilities across the UK by providing captioning and live subtitling at these events.
He was also the co-founder and accessibility director at Open Inclusion from 2015 – 2018.
Over and above this Jonathan has been a visiting professor at the London Metropolitan University since 2011, working on innovative ‘beyond inclusion’ projects, such as uKinect.
In terms of his qualifications, Jonathan holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Warwick and a DPhil qualification from the University of York.
About Hassell Inclusion
Hassell Inclusion is all for removing barriers in digital technology, making it more accessible to all. They also aim to empower businesses globally, ensuring they understand just how much digital accessibility can benefit them as well as their customers.
As a starting point, businesses can check their ISO 30071-1 Digital Accessibility Maturity Score on the Hassell Inclusion site. From there, they will have a better understanding of the gaps in their accessibility efforts.
The Hassel Inclusion team offers personalized strategic accessibility transformation services based on this score. Other services include accessibility training, user research and testing, and implementation of digital innovation projects that make inclusion easier and more affordable to implement.
Some of their biggest clients currently include Google, BBS, Pearson, HSBC, and The Telegraph.
If you want to check your own score, you should set aside at least 20 minutes for the questionnaire, which covers 70 questions across 9 dimensions of how accessibility impacts different aspects of your business.
The Hassell Difference
Released in May 2019, ISO 30071-1 has made it easier for businesses to incorporate accessibility into their day-to-day processes when creating ICT products and services. These standards were created to have the greatest impact on accessibility globally as possible, which they have.
Jonathan’s innovative thinking has resulted in ongoing, positive changes for the disabled community. With the help of his accessibility techniques and standards, disabled and elderly groups can now enjoy a better experience online and when engaging with digital products and services.
As updates are made to ISO 30071-1, organizations can continue to create a more inclusive experience for their customers and do their part to build a more inclusive society globally.