How a Small Business Can Advocate for a Cause

My colleague Lynn and I recently took part in the 10k Run for Inclusion, the annual sporting event organised by RunningHour, a co-operative that promotes the integration of people with special needs through sports, fostering a more inclusive Singapore.

This was the second time I participated in their yearly event, the last one was in July 2016 when they held it in East Coast Park. It’s always such a joy to participate as it is one of the few running events in Singapore where participants run alongside others with special needs. Everyone is welcome, supported and celebrated!

When I joined 55 Minutes, one of the things that drew me to the job was 55 Minutes’ advocacy for accessibility and inclusion. Since I was coming from a decade in the non-profit space, it was heartening to join a team that valued making life easier for those in the margins, whether they live with a disability, are in low-income households, or have a mental health condition.

As UX UI designers, our team is committed to designing digital products that are for everyone, including the blind. So even for our internal projects, we are developing our skills in researching and designing with the visually impaired in mind. We also created a guide to designing for the blind, which although not exhaustive, is a handy 101 to start empathising with the visually impaired and keeping them top of mind when designing user experiences and interfaces.

In the course of all this, I’ve learned that there are three things a small business can put in place so its team can advocate for a cause that is important to the team.

Make friends with the people you want to serve

Connections are everything. Because relationships are the bedrock of a good and worthwhile life.

As designers, nothing beats us getting to know the potential user of the digital products we’re building, and making friends is the best route to that. It cements our emotional investment to design for accessibility. That applies to all types of businesses, no matter the size.

Even if I met the people at RunningHour, Soundball, Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) and Guide Dogs Singapore many years back, it was really the friendships with them through the years that have been the constant. We say hi when we see each other in the parks when they run (and I walk) on Saturday mornings. They speak on a panel I’m moderating. I gather people to join their events. It is a joy to be able to serve your friends and I hope that we get to do that more and more. You and your team at work can do that too!

Mai with the Founder of RunningHour, John See Toh

Keep the people you advocate for top of mind in the work process

For our team at 55 Minutes, that means embedding accessibility thinking into the design process. It’s really been about prioritising accessibility. We’ve been learning through the research and design of our audio journal app, and it’s not been an easy process! We are constantly reminded that there is so much to learn with regards to how we can make products better for the blind. But if we don’t prioritise it, it will be overlooked. A small business can make that commitment as a team and hold one another accountable through the process.

Collaborate with each other on projects

We’ve now had people with visual impairment test our prototype for accessibility and we’re sure this is not the last time we will collaborate together.

We’ve had initial discussions with our VI friends about collaborating on events to further the message of prioritising accessibility and inclusion in UX UI design. We’re confident that it is only through collaboration that we will be able to impart to others how important it is to build for everyone, not just the mainstream market.

It’s never too late to start!

Committing to an advocacy doesn’t have to be daunting, if you’re doing it as an individual or an organisation. It has the potential to get your team to put their heart into something that can help people thrive. A cause bigger than themselves. It can also increase productivity and give purpose and meaning to you and your team.

Mai and Lynn from Team 55 Minutes at RunningHour’s Run for Inclusion 2024

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Mai is the content and marketing lead at 55 Minutes. Outside of work, you’re likely to find Mai taking long walks, baking cakes for friends or singing alto in the choir.