Summary: Here I discuss the recent announcement by Donna J. Jodhan, blind advocate and entrepreneur, announcing the launch of Access Park, a new online marketplace for assistive technology buyers and sellers. This community-driven, passion project, funded by Donna J. Jodhan, creates a new global marketplace for assistive technology buyers and sellers, making accessible buying and selling within the access community easier than it has ever been before.
Background
I would like to open with a quick bit of background information that will help to explain the circumstances that led to this announcement today.
The People Involved
I, Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. Project Management Professional for Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., and acting Publisher for the Top Tech Tidbits, Access Information News and AI-Weekly newsletters, began serving Donna J. Jodhan as a Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. client on August 15, 2012.
Donna is an award-winning blind advocate, law graduate and entrepreneur from Canada who won the landmark legal victory in 2010 against the Canadian government over the inaccessibility of federal websites.
The law connected to Donna’a landmark legal victory in 2012 was not a new law but a Charter Challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This challenge argued that the inaccessibility of government websites violated the Charter’s guarantee of equal access to government services, specifically under Section 15, which deals with equality rights, including the rights of persons with disabilities.
Following her victory, the Canadian government was ordered to make its websites accessible to individuals with disabilities, leading to broader efforts to improve accessibility across federal digital platforms.
Later, Donna played a significant role in advocating for the Accessible Canada Act, which was enacted in 2019. This law aims to eliminate barriers and ensure accessibility for Canadians with disabilities in areas under federal jurisdiction. Though the legal case itself was based on the Charter, it was Donna’s advocacy that contributed to the passage of the Accessible Canada Act.
Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., is an award-winning digital marketing agency that I founded in 2004 to help bring cutting edge digital marketing services to businesses and organizations that needed them.
This means that Donna and I have been working together for a little over 12 years now, as of this writing.
Why Donna Always Wanted To Do This
During our time working together over the last 12 years I have assisted Donna with a number of tasks that she was unable to perform herself due to inaccessibility. The most frequent offender of all? Online shopping.
This will surprise no one that uses assistive technology to do their online shopping. But we’re not just talking about mainstream e-commerce sites here, we’re talking about some access-specific e-commerce sites as well.
Unfortunately, I have had to place orders for Donna on access-specific e-commerce sites as well, due to accessibility issues specific to her technical setup. She would always say to me, “Aaron, there’s got to be a better way.” To which I would reply, with seemingly sage-like wisdom, “Only if you build one.” Well, that is precisely what she has decided to do.
Upon making this decision, Donna came to me and asked me if there might be any way that we could fix this problem for access buyers and sellers in a grassroots, community-driven style, that would truly benefit everyone, without breaking the bank. (I know, small ask, right?) Well, as a long time project manager and community startup builder, I was, of course, intrigued. Something I’m certain Donna anticipated. Several meetings followed. What we came away with was the idea for Access Park, which I will outline below.
Access Park, which is now available online at https://accesspark.shop, but does NOT currently have any products for sale, is a new, fully-accessible, ADA compliant, WCAG 2.1 & 2.2 conformant, global marketplace powered by Shopify. Over time, Access Park will offer a wide selection of items important to persons with disabilities. From assistive technology, to specialty items, to simple, every day needs, Donna will personally curate each of the products offered by Access Park.
Access Park is made possible by funding provided by Donna J. Jodhan.
Full Disclosure
Donna has contracted me, Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. PMP, Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., as a 3rd Party Vendor to work on building out the Access Park business model and brand. I have no financial stake in Access Park. It is wholly and completely owned by Donna J. Jodhan.
With the construction of the site now complete, and testing underway, I will outline below exactly how Access Park will work.
1. Introduction to Access Park
Access Park is an inclusive online global marketplace designed specifically to connect sellers with buyers in the accessibility community. Our primary goal is to provide a fully accessible platform where suppliers, sellers, innovators and creators of all sizes can list and sell products that improve the daily lives of individuals with disabilities. With zero up front cost. Access Park was designed specifically to serve the needs of blind and low vision users, deaf and hard-of-hearing users, deafblind users, neurodivergent users, and those with other disabilities.
2. Problem Statement
While there are numerous products designed to assist people with disabilities, it can be challenging for sellers to find platforms that prioritize the needs of their target audience. Many marketplaces lack the tailored accessibility tools and know-how to make the online shopping experience seamless for those with visual, hearing or motor impairments.
Sellers of accessibility-related products needed a marketplace that was designed specifically with these users in mind. One that ensures easy access to the products buyers need, while also providing an accessible, fair, trusted and reliable platform for sellers to consistently connect with new customers. That is Access Park.
3. The Access Park Solution
Access Park will serve as an easy to use, accessible, central global marketplace dedicated to products designed to aid persons with disabilities. Donna J. Jodhan, an internationally recognized advocate for persons with disabilities, and someone who is blind herself, will personally curate each of the products approved for listing by Access Park, ensuring that each listing meets the real world needs of the disabled community.
4. Business Model
- Description: Access Park is a fully accessible, ADA compliant, WCAG 2.1 & 2.2 conformant, drop-shipping service dedicated to the needs of the access community. At Access Park, we do not hold, fulfill or ship physical inventory.
- Seller Responsibilities: At Access Park, sellers are responsible for fulfillment, shipping and handling, and customer service.
- Access Park Responsibilities: Access Park is responsible for listing your products in the Access Park online catalog, promoting them each week using various large audience channels within the access community, and closing sales on your behalf. All a seller has to do to list their products on Access Park is gain approval and negotiate a reasonable rate for each sale. With those two things out of the way, Access Park will get to work selling your products each day. Only have a small number of items to sell? No problem. Get them approved and let Access Park start selling them for you today.
- Seller Partnerships: Access Park is currently seeking partnerships with access sellers of all sizes across the globe to fill our catalog of curated products. Sellers agree to handle fulfillment, shipping and handling, and customer service on all orders. Simply tell us where you ship, where you don’t, what your return policy is, and how many of the item you have, and we will make certain only those options are available to potential customers.
- Sales Commission: We will negotiate an agreed upon commission rate for the sale of each product. This specific percentage will be agreed upon with each seller, up front, based on factors like product type, price point and availability.
Your Sales Commission Rate Covers the Following Costs:
- Addition of Your Products To The Access Park Catalog: This includes the addition of photos, alt text, descriptions, pricing, shipping, inventory and any variations for each approved product.
- Complete Management of the Sales Process: No website to keep hosted, accessible, compliant or updated. There is literally nothing that a seller needs to do except get approved, agree upon a rate, and provide the assets necessary to list their products. Access Park takes care of everything else.
- Complete Management of the Promotion Process: As of September 20, 2024, Access Park is now one of 24 global Top Tech Tidbits Sponsors that reach thousands of blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, neurodivergent and/or disabled professionals, educators and enthusiasts, all over the world, each week. Access Park has dedicated its Sponsorship Package with Top Tech Tidbits to promoting the Access Park Catalog to thousands of access technology readers (27K as of this writing), all over the world, each week.
- Capture of Each Sale: Access Park will pass on all completed orders directly to the seller for fulfillment.
- Credit Card Processing Fees: Access Park will pay all of the processing fees required to capture payment on each sale.
- Payment Terms: For each sale, Access Park will capture the full payment from the customer and forward the balance (minus the agreed upon commission) to the seller. This can happen immediately upon sale or within a pre-negotiated payment cycle.
5. Value Proposition for Sellers
- Highly Targeted Market: Sellers gain immediate access to a fully accessible, ADA Compliant, WCAG 2.1 & 2.2 conformant, global marketplace designed specifically for persons with disabilities, ensuring their products reach their intended audience every time.
- No Listing Fees: Access Park absorbs the cost of listing products in our catalog, as well as all payment processing fees, making it easy for sellers to start selling on Access Park immediately.
- Expert Curation: With Donna Jodhan as curator of the Access Park catalog, sellers can be confident that their products will always be endorsed by a respected blind advocate, enhancing buyer trust and visibility.
- Fair and Transparent Payment Terms: Sellers can rely on timely payments for each sale, with clear terms negotiated up front.
- No Upfront Costs: Sellers incur NO upfront costs until a product is sold, reducing your financial risk to zero.
6. Seller Responsibilities
- Fulfillment and Shipping: Sellers agree to manage all of the logistics required to fulfill and ship each order in a timely manner.
- Product Quality Assurance: All of the products sold on Access Park must meet high standards of quality to ensure customer satisfaction and minimize returns.
- Customer Service: Sellers agree to handle any and all customer inquiries and/or complaints related to their products.
7. Customer Experience and Accessibility:
Access Park agrees to provide a fully accessible, ADA Compliant, WCAG 2.1 & 2.2 conformant shopping experience to anyone in the world, regardless of ability. With no website to keep hosted, accessible, compliant or updated. There is literally nothing that a seller needs to do except get approved, agree upon a rate, and provide the assets necessary to list their products.
Access Park takes care of everything else, including:
- Full screen reader compatibility: Including, but not limited to JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver.
- Native, site-wide keyboard navigation: Ensures easy access to all features and content.
- Dedicated Sitewide Accessibility Menu (CTRL+U): Provides quick access to accessibility features.
- Simple, minimalist design for each product: Product pages are not stuffed with related content that confuses screen readers.
- High-contrast visuals: Enhances readability for all users, including those with visual impairments.
- Full captions and transcripts for all included video content: Ensures accessibility for users with auditory impairments.
Access Park is not just a marketplace — it’s a movement to empower buyers and sellers in the access community by ensuring access to products that genuinely make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities.
8. Join Us in Creating an Inclusive Future
We invite access suppliers, sellers, innovators and creators of all sizes, all over the world, who are passionate about improving the lives of individuals with disabilities, to join Access Park.
By partnering with Access Park you can consistently reach a dedicated and under-served audience of access technology buyers, while benefiting from a truly streamlined, next generation sales process.
If you’re looking to shop Access Park, we humbly ask for your patience as we build out our supplier network and begin promoting your very first products.
If you have additional questions in the meantime, you can reach me, Aaron Di Blasi, at ad@mvsltd.com 📧️, or Donna J. Jodhan at: donna@donnajodhan.com 📧️.
Access Park. Where inclusivity is always in stock. (TM)
