On its third anniversary, the company’s +diversity program continues to grow, with its two latest initiatives: an Inclusive Communication webinar and the implementation of the Userway web accessibility app.

Inclusion is a word that embraces a multitude of concepts and but whose essence is very clear: it’s about everybody, whatever their creed, race, abilities, gender or sexual choices, having the same opportunities to fulfill themselves.

This is the policy pursued by our +d program, which has just celebrated its third anniversary of developing initiatives aimed at fostering better tolerance, and encouraging people to think of others when communicating and interacting. The premise? Despite our differences, we all deserve the same opportunities. Taking another step towards that goal, the +d initiative recently held an Inclusive Communication webinar and is implementing the Userway accessibility app.

Company CEO Ricardo Markous is clear that “working on diversity is part of our cultural transformation program. These events and applications are an opportunity to open our eyes and look beyond our personal experience.”

Daniel Valencio, Director of Exploration and Development, adds that, “I’m proud to be part of the group involved in +d governance. We celebrate diversity and believe that inclusive communication is a tool that goes far beyond speech.”

“Inclusion involves many factors,” expands Carla Isnaldi, one of those responsible for the webinar: “It’s not just about using a single tool to respect diversity. It must be ingrained into our culture, so that it’s present in each area, whether it’s designing a building or building a ramp, and equally, when designing language. With communication, it’s not only the words we use but also the meaning of what we’re saying and how we’re saying it, and what’s implicit, including gestures and other tools we choose to relate to others.”

Cristina Lopez Mayher, a co-speaker at the event, agrees, explaining that, “Just as society changes, so does the way we relate to each other. The aim of the webinar was to offer a range of tools analyzing the way we communicate, how we talk to each other, and see whether we are in fact respecting other people’s choices, their origins or their training. That’s the goal: to create an instance capable of bridging the historical and structural gaps that create inequality, expressed through the way we communicate, in order to ensure that our communication includes, not excludes.”

In this logic of equity, Userway provides an innovative form of overcoming the barriers to accessibility on the internet. “Our goal is to ensure that anyone in the company can perform the task for which they have been prepared,” begins Esteban Grassi, the head of Commercial Planning and Supply Chain at Shushufindi and an Ally on the Disability axis. “We believe that this is a key area for inclusion: ensuring that nobody has any problem doing their job.” Userway helps you solve whatever issue you might have: if you have trouble reading or identifying colors, if you have difficulty hearing, if you’re on the autism spectrum and find it hard to access certain content, the application adapts whatever content you need to the most suitable format.

Sebastián Flexas, who works in New Media and Communications at Techint, adds that, “We looked into how compatible this tool was with our in-company intranet technology. After carrying out several tests, we were able to make all the functions adapt organically. This is a vital step for Tecpetrol, and it’s also paving the way forward for other Techint Group companies.”

According to Leonardo Reitano, who is running the implementation phase, “This tool interprets the content of a web page thanks to artificial intelligence: it translates buttons that have no labels, describes images, and reads the information efficiently. The idea is that the person using it can access a website’s entire content clearly and simply, whatever their visual barrier.” 

Pablo Fichera, who’s on a team that includes Claudio Bertuzzi, explains that their goal is to phase the tool in “gradually throughout our sites and applications. The first page we had to adapt was Tecpetrol Hoy, which is one of our main communication channels and the gateway to all our applications.”

Inclusion. One of the great objectives of the company and indeed of the Group as a whole. From all fronts and covering all areas. Seemingly, a task with no end to it—as each day, more initiatives are added and more rights extended and affirmed.