If the accessibility team isn’t in the room, who steps up? This is my call to action for all product owners, sales teams, engineering, design, and UX organizations. Every decision you make can either open doors or create barriers for…
Accessibility Meme: When you are asked to create an accessible product, tell them to create an accessible experience
When you are asked to create an accessible product, tell them to create an accessible experience. An accessible product alone might meet the minimum standards for the product, but an accessible experience ensures inclusivity at every touchpoint. Accessible products are…
Accessibility Meme: Riding the Compliance Wave: Accessibility Deadlines vs. True Inclusion
Good News: There has been a noticeable increase in senior accessibility job postings recently. This uptick is a positive sign that organizations are recognizing the importance of accessibility and are seeking experts to lead these crucial initiatives. Bad News: This…
Accessibility Meme: Ride share companies must be held accountable when drivers cancel on customers with service dogs
Ride share companies must be held accountable when drivers cancel on customers with service dogs. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s blatant discrimination affecting the independence and dignity of disabled individuals. The ADA is clear: service dogs are allowed in…
Accessibility Meme: Disability isn’t a one-time event—it’s a year-round reality.
Disability isn’t a one-time event—it’s a year-round reality. The needs and feelings of people with disabilities don’t just exist on special days or in certain months. We live our experiences every single day, navigating a world that often overlooks or…
Accessibility Meme: Traveling with a Disability: The Packing List You Didn’t Think About
Traveling with a Disability: The Packing List You Didn’t Think About I went out of town last weekend and very much felt like the woman in this picture. I was going to be gone less than 24 hours, except I…
Accessibility Meme: Accessibility isn’t just my day job—it’s an everything, everywhere, all at once job.
Ever notice how accessibility professionals can’t turn it off? We’re not just talking about ramps and alt text at work—we’re out here obsessively auditing everything. Dinner party? I’m discussing the accessibility of the menu fonts. Wedding? I’m side-eyeing the aisle…
Accessibility Meme: Controversial Statement It’s not my Job to Help you Publicize your Accessibility-Related Survey
Possibly controversial statement here. It’s not my job to help you publicize your accessibility-related survey. At least once a week, I get a request from a well-meaning graduate student asking me to help them get more responses to their survey.…
Accessibility Meme: The phrases “Differently abled,” “Specially-abled,” and “Special needs” When Used in Conversation with me, are Deeply Frustrating
The phrases “differently abled,” “specially-abled,” and “special needs” when used in conversation with me, are deeply frustrating. These euphemisms are often well-intended, but they feel patronizing and disrespectful to the person they describe. People with disabilities deserve the dignity of…
Placing an Employee with a Disability on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) *immediately after* They Request an Accommodation
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (#NDEAM). One disturbing and largely illegal action erects an enormous barrier that people with disabilities struggle to overcome. That action is placing an employee with a disability on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)…