THE EMPOWER NETWORK
Accessbility Standards
TWO FORMAL COMMITMENTS - AND WHY THEY EXIST TOGETHER.
The Empower Network's community has spent years navigating programs that treated access as an afterthought.
Accommodation is usually something you have to request and then subsequently justify, rather than something built in from the beginning.
These policies exist to formalize a different approach, and apply to everyone who works on behalf of The Empower Network: board members, staff, volunteers, contractors, and program collaborators. They cover program design, event access, digital content, accommodation processes, and internal operations.
Why a formal policy, not just good intentions.
Our accessibility policy isn't primarily a compliance document.
It's a set of organizational commitments that reflect what we actually believe: that access should not require a fight, that disabled community members shouldn't have to repeatedly justify basic participation, and that accessibility designed in from the beginning looks different from accessibility added after the fact.
Our accessibility policy below applies to everyone who works on behalf of TEN - volunteers, contractors, partners, and board members. It covers how we design programs, create content, run events, and handle accommodation requests.
Additionally, we have installed an accessibility widget on our website via Accessibe, that creates an enhanced site accessibility experience far beyond the visually impaired community. It provides accessibility features for visitors with seizure disorders, ADHD, cognitive impairment, and more.
ACCESSIBILITY POLICY
For many in our community, AI tools are an accessibility accommodation, not a productivity hack.
Brain fog makes writing hard. Executive dysfunction makes task organization harder.
On high-symptom days, AI tools can be the difference between getting work done and not. The Empower Network uses AI for the same reasons many of our members do - because it reduces cognitive load and makes participation possible on days when it otherwise wouldn't be.
As a volunteer-run organization, we also rely on AI to manage operational capacity: drafting document outlines, organizing systems, ideating workflows and supporting accessibility features like caption and alt text drafts. Human review is required on all of it.
That said, our community has also been directly harmed by AI systems. Likenesses scraped without consent, work used to train models without compensation, automated tools making decisions about access to employment and housing. We do not get to benefit from these tools without being accountable to that context. Our Ethical AI Usage Policy documents exactly what we have committed to.
Need an accomodation?
If something about how The Empower Network operates isn't working for you, we want to know. Accommodation requests are handled with confidentiality and care.
Submit your request using the form below, and someone will reach out to you within 48 business hours.