Many companies just getting started at accessibility focus only on critical bugs and lose momentum and drive to complete fixing the remainder of the bugs. My research testing shows that approach is problematic for two reasons: One: It is more…
Vicarious Discrimination Contributes to the High Rate of Burnout in the Accessibility Professionals’ Field.
Have you heard the phrase vicarious discrimination before? Vicarious discrimination is when you witness either first or second-hand discrimination against another individual that belongs to the same underrepresented community that you do. So, for example, if you are helping someone…
Accessibility Meme: You can memorize accessibility rote facts
You can memorize accessibility rote facts, like WCAG 1.4.3 is about color, and that the color ratio for small text has to be 3:1. That explains to you the “how” of accessibility Or you can understand why accessibility rules about…
Accessibility is Like Oil in a Car
For those of you in the US of a certain age, you may remember a funny commercial for Fram oil filters. The punch line was “you can pay me now or you can pay me later” Accessibility is like that…
Accessibility Meme: DEI Celebrations should be about more than merely “awareness”
DEI Celebrations should be about more than merely “awareness” Awareness doesn’t last. Change lasts, but change is hard. To celebrate DEI days authentically, you need to: 1) Have benchmarks on the DEI topic at hand to see if you are…
If you aren’t doing user research with users with disabilities, you aren’t doing real user research.
User research has been whacked in the most recent rounds of tech layoffs Do you know what that means? The limited amount of research that has been going on with people with disabilities has been severely curtailed 20 % of…
Accessibility Meme: The Worst Way to Do Accessibility is to Ignore It
The worst way to do accessibility is to ignore it. The second worst way to make something accessible is to do it after the product has been coded 1) An already-coded product might have features or integrations with third-party vendors…
Accessibility is the little red hen of the business world. Almost everyone wants the accessible experience, however, not everyone wants the responsibility of making that happen
The Little Red Hen did all the work. She sewed the grain, pulled the weeds, watered the sprouts, harvested the grain and baked the bread. All along she asked for help but no one was there with her until they…
Accessibility Meme: Putting accessibility in the Definition of Done or the MVP
Putting accessibility in the Definition of Done or the MVP (minimum viable product) makes it harder for it to end up on the cutting room floor when budgets are cut and products are pushed out before they are ready. It’s…
You want to appear inclusive? Do something that you think might help people with a specific disability. You want to BE inclusive? Do something that all people with disabilities can equally use, and include them in the process
Who are accessibility celebrations for? We have National Disability Employment Awareness Month, but the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is still more than double that of non-disabled individuals. We have Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Action Month, but 85 % of autistic people…
