by Tova Sherman
Addressing the challenges associated with effectively “getting the word out” to stakeholders is crucial to ongoing organizational success, and I have never felt this more so than in the last few months.
You see, reachAbility has expanded our client services, not by just adding programming, but due to ongoing success and increasing demand, through expanding who we serve to include everyone who wishes to participate. We do not charge for our self-management or employment services which means we are able to truly welcome everyone. Due to our name, our history, and our passion and commitment to advocating on behalf of our clients with disabilities, many people assume that reachAbility’s services are only open to folks who identify as living with disability, but this has never been the case. I like to explain it this way; we are inclusive of disability, not exclusive. Accessibility and accommodation will always be at the core of what we do, but that is because everyone is welcome.
I am aware expanding who we serve is a good problem to have, but it has been challenging to get the word out. We will never dilute our commitment to eliminating barriers faced by folks living with disability, butwe are much more than just a disability agency.
After taking the time to examine how the community perceives our agency and our services, I believe what we learned and how we are pivoting is worth sharing.
Step 1:
Authentic Community Engagement and Listening: We reached out to stakeholders and actively listened to community members, local leaders, and potential beneficiaries in the planning process. This co-creation helped us build partnership and ensured the resulting messaging was relevant. We learnt quickly the stigma of disability can discourage folks from accessing our services and we needed to consider how to proceed.
Step 2:
Tailor the Message for the Audience: The way information is presented matters significantly. The message for local leaders might be different from that for frontline workers or government officials. So, a clear, concise message that highlighted the direct benefits and positive impact was essential. Going forward, “Everyone is Welcome” will be our main message, followed by outlining the practical, tangible results our clients can expect right away.
Step 3:
Demonstrate Impact with Evidence: To demonstrate those tangible results, we’ve realized we need to move beyond talking about intentions and showing concrete evidence of effectiveness and positive outcomes from existing programs. We developed a series of case studies as examples of employment and self-management success for various communities.
Step 4:
Address Internal Communication Issues: Ensuring that internal teams, including staff, volunteers, and board members are aligned, communicating effectively, and communicating the same basic message is essential. This means taking more time to ensure everyone is on page, but that is absolutely time well spent.
Step 5:
Be Patient and Realistic: Uptake around change takes time. We have to be flexible and adjust to a more realistic timeframe for anticipated results and acceptance.
Bottom line, by shifting focus from simply announcing new services to a process of genuine collaboration, demonstrated value, clarity on how we are perceived, and unity in our messaging, reachAbility is able to significantly improve our chances of delivering our services where they are needed most, to individuals who may not previously have known that we are here to serve them. Everyone needs help sometimes, whether in getting back to work or getting their life goals and plans back on track, and reachAbility is here for everyone.
