Building toward a communication accessibility standard on evidence, not assumption
People who process language and tone differently have carried the cost of unclear communication for too long. A credible standard requires systematic validation, independent review, and real world testing, so that cost becomes visible and fixable. This page describes where we are, and how you can participate.
“I have always found digital communication stressful. For a long time, I thought the problem was me.”
Erica, cofounder
We are not validating a framework for its own sake. We are building evidence so the next person does not have to hover over Send, and so organizations can measure whether their communications work across different ways of thinking.
See LINA Lens on your own site
Independent validation of the VOICE Framework and Human Response Model is still ahead of us. The scoring pipeline itself is operational. The clearest way to see it is a one time free assessment of your public communications.
Submit a work email and domain. We crawl and score your public pages against the VOICE Framework and send a private Audit Summary to your inbox.
Organizations that want to go deeper than a one time assessment can apply to become a founding partner.
Where we are
Building an accepted measurement standard is a multi year, multi stage process. We are transparent about our progress because credibility depends on honesty about what has been demonstrated and what has not.
Framework DevelopedComplete
The VOICE Framework (v6) defines 25 weighted characteristics across five dimensions (Visibility, Orientation, Inclusion, Clarity, Execution), producing a single composite VOICE Score. The framework was developed from research into neurodivergent communication needs and informed by established accessibility principles.
Platform BuiltComplete
LINA, the first platform we have built to test the VOICE Framework, is operational. It includes a two stage assessment pipeline: deterministic scoring of communication characteristics followed by narrative analysis. The free audit pipeline is live and processing organizational assessments.
Enterprise PilotsIn Progress
We are actively seeking enterprise organizations to pilot the framework against real organizational communications. Pilots will test the framework's applicability across content types, organizational sizes, and industry contexts. No pilots have been completed to date.
Independent ValidationFuture
We intend to engage independent researchers to evaluate the framework's reliability (do repeated assessments produce consistent scores?), construct validity (do the five dimensions measure what they claim to measure?), and predictive validity (do VOICE Scores correlate with downstream outcomes like comprehension, engagement, and action?).
Industry BenchmarksFuture
Once sufficient assessment data exists, we will publish anonymized benchmarking data by industry, organization size, and content type. The VOICE Registry infrastructure has been built to support this at scale.
CertificationFuture
A future certification program would allow organizations to demonstrate verified communication accessibility standards. This depends on a validated framework and established benchmarks.
Open StandardFuture
The long term vision is for the VOICE Framework to become an open standard that others can build on, similar to how WCAG operates. This is a multi year aspiration, not a near term deliverable.
How we approach validation
Our research approach is guided by three principles.
Independence
Framework validation must involve researchers and institutions without financial ties to UniquelyND. We are the framework's developers. We cannot also be its sole evaluators.
Transparency
We will publish our methodology, our findings, and our limitations. A standard that cannot withstand scrutiny is not a standard worth building.
Applicability
Validation must happen against real organizational communications, not synthetic test cases. The framework must work in practice, not only in theory.
We are currently identifying and engaging research partners to begin formal validation work. We welcome inquiries from academics and research institutions working in accessibility, organizational communication, neurodiversity, or psychometrics.
Shape the future of communication accessibility measurement
We are inviting research institutions, enterprise organizations, and domain experts to participate in validating and refining the VOICE Framework as Founding VOICE Partners.
Research partners
Collaborate on independent validation of the framework. This includes study design, data analysis, and co publication of findings. We are particularly interested in partners with expertise in psychometrics, accessibility measurement, organizational communication, or neurodiversity research.
Enterprise partners
Pilot the framework against their own organizational communications. Pilots provide real world data on framework applicability and surface edge cases that controlled studies cannot. Enterprise partners receive early access to benchmarking data and direct input into framework refinement.
Advisory partners
Contribute domain expertise in accessibility, HR, DEI, or organizational communication. Advisory partners inform framework development priorities and help ensure the proposed standard addresses the needs of the organizations that will ultimately adopt it.
What partners receive
- Early access to the VOICE Framework and LINA platform
- Participation in framework governance and development decisions
- Access to benchmarking and cohort data as it becomes available
- Co authorship opportunities on validation research (research partners)
- Recognition as a Founding VOICE Partner in published materials
Research and resources
Our formal validation program is in its early stages. We will publish findings here as they are completed. In the meantime, these resources describe our framework and approach.