December 2020 - Sheri Byrne-Haber's Blog

Roman numerals 2 0 2 1 written in gold sparkler light

2021 accessibility predictions

Yeah, machine learning and personalization made the list, but I also have a couple of other thoughts. It’s time for the annual “Year-End” accessibility predictions. Machine Learning Machine learning is going to continue to be exceptionally important to the advancement…

Why I seldom turn on my video for zoom calls

Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD) and increasing anxiety rates are significant issues for people now spending 8 hours a day or more on Zoom. I am Sheri Byrne-Haber, a wheelchair-using, no-nonsense, CS degree-holding geek who also has degrees in law and…

Old white econoliner-type van stuck in the mud in a remote area being pushed by three people

Where to go for accessibility help when you are stuck

There are lots of resources, some obvious, some not so obvious It happens all the time, even to people as experienced in the field of accessibility as I am. You are brainstorming about how to solve an accessibility issue, and…

A pyramid of black lettering with stylized text that says: If you don’t love it or use it, it is clutter.

Starting a new accessibility remediation project?

Marie Kondo’ing the project first will get you to your goal faster. Yay, you finally convinced someone to prioritize remediating an inaccessible website. What could possibly go wrong? </snark> There are approaches and prioritization that will make your end goal…

The word “Disability” letter spelled in ASL with the DIS separated from ABILITY

Are you ready to be anti-ableist in 2021?

Make a New Year’s Resolution to add anti-ableism to your skillset from 2021 going forward. As I start to think about the standard “year-end” / wrap-up articles related to accessibility, this one seems pretty obvious. We need more people to…

Compass pointing to the words “Simply the best”

My top 10 favorite disability/ accessibility articles of the year

Picking your favorite articles when you’ve written 145 of them in the past 12 months is like picking your favorite kids. After I was named the UX Collective Medium author of 2020, I was asked on LinkedIn to post a list…

How to prevent your conference calls from getting hacked

A few simple, proactive steps will help reduce the chance of this terrible event from occurring on your watch. I recently attended a large public event hacked by someone making racist, sexist, homophobic remarks. It was the kind of event…

Cartoon of man holding money in one hand, and a bottle of oil with a snake coming out of it in the other

Accessibility Charlatans

You might be dealing with an accessibility charlatan if they have a pattern of doing any of these things. Many IT and diversity/inclusion professionals are now advertising themselves as digital accessibility subject matter experts without any relevant credentials or experience. Any time…

Person running finger down invoice on laptop screen taking notes on paper in a binder

Got sued over website accessibility?

Don’t count on being able to recoup those costs from someone else. This article is not legal advice. This is a general opinion article and should not be relied upon for any legal situation. Always consult an attorney who specializes…

Month: December 2020