Gilbert honored as accessibility champion
Student Media Associate Director Jamie Lynn Gilbert was acknowledged by the NC State IT Accessibility Office for her commitment to digital accessibility.
NC State Student Media Associate Director Jamie Lynn Gilbert was recognized as an accessibility champion by the NC State IT Accessibility Office. The accolade is given quarterly to individuals and groups committed to making the NC State digital environment a more inclusive and accessible place.
Nominated by colleague Doug Flowers in DASA Tech, Gilbert is an advocate for digital accessibility across Student Media and specifically in her role as adviser to WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2. Gilbert developed documentation to ensure departmental publications like the rate card and annual report meet accessibility standards for PDFs. For WKNC, Gilbert uses live captioning for DJ training classes and lobbied for the purchase of an auto-transcription service to enable transcripts of WKNC videos and podcasts. She also teaches staff the importance of alt text for images on the station website and social media.
“A lot of places try hard to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all different backgrounds,” Gilbert said. “Embracing digital accessibility is part of that. Live captioning, transcripts and image alt text are ways to ensure the content you create is available to the largest population possible.”
Gilbert’s accessibility outreach stretches beyond campus. Together with Flowers, Gilbert has presented informational sessions on digital accessibility at the National Student Electronic Media Convention in 2018 and 2019 with accessibility specialists from University of Washington and Washington University in St. Louis, respectively.
This is Gilbert’s fourth recognition for her accessibility work. She was previously honored in the 2013 World Usability Day Website Challenge and Global Accessibility Awareness Day Challenge in 2015 and 2018.
