At Hilton, we strive to understand our diverse global communities while developing culture, talent, and marketplace strategies that foster inclusivity for individuals with all abilities. Our culture guides our Team Members – creating an environment of awareness, advancement, and advocacy for Team Members with visible and invisible disabilities, caregivers, and allies.
Jill Mugge, Senior Manager of Digital Accessibility, joined Hilton in 2021 to advocate for inclusion. She now works with our internal teams to integrate the perspectives of people with disabilities (PwD) into the early development process of Hilton’s digital products. Below, Jill highlights the ways Hilton is innovating digital accessibility to create a culture for all and helpful steps you can take to drive accessibility within your workday.
What is your role as Senior Manager of Digital Accessibility?
“In this role, I support the digital accessibility efforts in Segments (Small & Medium Business and Luxury Travel Advisors) and Groups Meetings & Events (GM&E). One of the projects I led was developing a methodology that enables Hilton’s digital User Experience Researchers to test the experience PwD have when they engage with new digital products, such as requesting a proposal for meeting space or a small business owner requesting an accessible room on behalf of their traveling employee with a disability.”
How did you find a passion for Digital Accessibility?
“Over the past 12 years, I’ve watched my father-in-law slowly lose his vision. There was a lightbulb moment for me when I became acutely aware that not only had he lost his sight, but also his independence through limitation in accessibility. I quickly took inventory of my skills and decided I could make the biggest impact by pivoting my career into Digital Accessibility.
I assessed the skills I had garnered through a 25+ year career in marketing and a decade of entrepreneurship and sought out a mentor in the digital accessibility industry. After identifying some gaps in my skills, such as software development, I sourced volunteer opportunities to gain that experience.
I was most surprised by how generous people in the accessibility space were with their time to help me. I joined several online accessibility communities and whenever I needed support someone was always there to provide that help.”
What are some ways Hilton is making a difference in Digital Accessibility?
“Hilton is an innovator when it comes to the commitment to accessibility. With the support of leadership, we’ve implemented a ‘Shift Left’ approach to digital products by engaging with teams earlier in the discovery, design, and research phases of development. Thereby including PwD from inception.
Technology can be a powerful tool for PwD. We are continuing to envision ways to enhance the experience for our guests and Team Members. Programs like Digital Key, which allows our guests with disabilities the freedom to bypass the front desk, which may be difficult for some to access, are making a big impact.
We are also refreshing internal resources for Team Members that heighten accessibility and enable Hilton to hire more PwD, an often untapped and highly capable workforce.”
What role can YOU play in driving accessibility?
From accessible emails and documents to presentations and meetings, we all can make Hilton accessible for our guests and Team Members. Here are a few ways you can do that:
Accessible Documents
- Run the Accessibility checker in your Microsoft products, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, by going to “Review” in the document menu à then select “Check Accessibility” in the menu ribbon à finally, in the dropdown, select “Check Accessibility”. The accessibility checker scans your document and provides a list of items that need to be addressed.
Accessible Meetings
- Send out your presentation material before the meeting so that your attendees have a chance to review it before the meeting begins.
- Record and transcribe meetings so that your attendees can review content they missed.
- When adding images or GIFs in the Teams chat, include alternative text that describes the images so users who are visually impaired can also enjoy them. Fun fact: Emojis do not need alternative text. Microsoft automatically provides that to screen readers.
- When sharing your screen during a meeting, describe what everyone is looking at on the screen clearly so that attendees who cannot follow can do so.
Why is Hilton a good fit for you?
“Hilton LIVES its values, every Team Member, every day. It's not just a banner hanging on the wall. I routinely see leadership practices and witness their commitment to these principles, making me feel like I'm part of something greater than myself.
In the year I’ve been here, I've seen the amazing progress we’ve made, creating more awareness and empathy – it's truly remarkable. I didn’t expect to have this kind of impact. It’s what gets me up in the morning and drives me to want to raise more awareness with others.”
