I’ve broken the suggestions I am making below many, many times. I’m trying harder not to do that in the future. Product owners and people above them in the executive hierarchy frequently hold the position that current customers and what…
Accessibility issues that can’t be solved by tech
You can’t consider yourself accessible in the broadest sense of the word without considering non-technical factors that disproportionately impact people with disabilities There are two different categories of thought on the WCAG accessibility guidelines: WCAG is a goal, something that…
Female leaders are better at ensuring people with disabilities aren’t excluded
Good news, but simultaneously depressing because female leadership is so vastly underrepresented in both government and private business In the article “What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders,” the female leaders of Denmark, Iceland,…
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.…
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…
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?…
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…
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…
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…
Accessibility and Design Thinking don’t work together automatically
Here are some strategies to make sure PwDs are not excluded. Note that this article does not address the question “should you be using Design Thinking at all?” — there are two very distinct camps on opposite ends of the…