August 2020 - Sheri Byrne-Haber's Blog

Tilted sign that says “Back to Basics” hanging on black chalkboard

Ten basic accessibility facts

All accessibility managers should be comfortable communicating the following facts and the reasons behind them. Fact #1: All accessibility (digital and physical) is a civil right. The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law for people with disabilities.…

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Lorem Ipsum cookie banner template — “Our Cookie Policy” OK I agree button

Cookie banners and accessibility

Yes, these do matter, especially if you are using a cookie banner to handle your privacy disclosures, super especially if you can be sued in California. What is a cookie? Cookies are small text files created by a website that…

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Air plant with spiky green leaves, bare roots, and purple and pink flowers

Books on Disability Resiliency

Fictional and real-life accounts of disability resiliency that pass my sniff test as a disabled person Part one of a two-part article: Read part one “My favorite books on accessibility and related topics.” What makes a good disability resiliency book?…

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Man sitting in small working space with laptop looking frustrated

All the reasons you might not have gotten that job

Many of which have nothing to do with you. I have spent some time over the last few months mentoring people finding themselves out of work courtesy of COVID. Some of them have applied to jobs at VMware; others are…

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Building an “accessibility brand”

Meaningful accessibility discussions happen when you are not in the room. Having a personal accessibility brand can help deliver your message in your absence. Branding isn’t just for companies anymore. Post-pandemic, in our almost-completely digital world, a personal brand is…

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Whiteboard that says “To-do list: Pivot!”

Pivoting to fully remote accessibility testing

Five months into the pandemic w/ no finish line in sight, temporary changes must be reassessed and made permanent to improve productivity. We are now five months into the pandemic. That is enough lived experience to have determined that: This…

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a room with an office from old science fiction movie

Sci-fi and Accessibility

There is a non-obvious connection between the two We had our monthly team meeting earlier this month. There were introductions (we had new team members) and some ice breakers where people were called on to answer a question from our…

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Accessibility Triumph Thursday: BrokenLifts.org

This week, I want to highlight the BrokenLifts.org website. BrokenLifts is a grassroots initiative providing real-time information about out-of-service elevators in Berlin’s public transportation system. For wheelchair users and others who depend on elevators, this resource saves people from wasted…

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Accessibility Meme Monday: Post an accessibility statement immediately after receiving a demand letter?

I saw an accessibility consulting agency share advice on responding to an accessibility demand letter. Recommendations 1 and 2 were spot on: consult a lawyer and an accessibility specialist. However, Recommendation 3 is something I would never endorse. Of course,…

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DEI is about investing in equity and valuing people over profits. stop farming it as a question of process or policy.

If you claim to hate DEI, what you are actually saying is you don’t believe people who identify as members of underrepresented communities should be treated equally. If that realization makes you uncomfortable, sit with it for a while. Stop…

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Accessibility and DEI are Deeply Interconnected

Accessibility and DEI are deeply interconnected. Too often, organizations treat them as separate initiatives. This disconnect risks creating accessibility solutions that lack depth and fail to address the real-world challenges people with disabilities face. For accessibility to thrive, it must…

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Accessibility Triumph Thursday: Trump White House rescinds freeze memo on federal grants, ending feud with Congress

The Trump administration’s decision to rescind the federal grant freeze is a clear triumph—not just for DEI advocates, but for anyone who values constitutional integrity. Now, time and resources won’t have to be wasted fighting something blatantly unconstitutional. Sometimes, politics…

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Disability Erasure 8

Disability Erasure Step 7 came and went in the blink of an eye. A completely unconstitutional freeze on block funding for programs that would have hit people with disabilities hard. Section 8 housing, medical services, small business loans — all…

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Accessibility Fail Friday: Tell me you aren’t a senior accessibility consultant without telling me you aren’t a senior accessibility consultant.

Tell me you aren’t a senior accessibility consultant without telling me you aren’t a senior accessibility consultant. Which of these phrases is easier to read? Associate Accessibility Consultant or ASSOCIATE ACCESSIBILITY CONSULTANT How about these hashtags hashtag#AssociateAccessibilityConsultant or hashtag#ASSOCIATEACCESSIBILITYCONSULTANT Using…

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Straight out of the Project 2025 / authoritarian regime playbook

Straight out of the Project 2025 / authoritarian regime playbook. Get rid of all DEI supporters, not just people in with DEI in their titles. Of course, the entire Department of Education will end up getting the sack, so these…

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Accessibility Fail Friday: New Head of the EEOC Ordered its Staff to Halt all LGBTQ Discrimination Cases Despite the Bostock Case Still Being the law of the land.

I rarely post two hashtag#AccessibilityFailFridays in one day, but this issue is too important to wait until next week. Two days ago, the head of the EEOC was removed, possibly illegally. Today, the new head of the EEOC ordered its…

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Accessibility Meme Monday: Things That Are not DEI’s Fault; Immigration Woes Plane Crashes, Egg Prices

There were over 200 executive orders in the new administration’s first week. This is the predicted “shock and awe” approach designed to overwhelm the public with so much illegal behavior and cruelty that many will withdraw to protect their mental…

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