Join fellow like-minded product owners looking to learn and contribute to authentic conversations on accessibility and inclusive design packed into just 5 minutes a day.
Accessibility isn't about disabilities
If you've never had a headache so bad you needed bigger text or you've never watched a video on mute in a waiting room, of course you're going to think accessibility is about disabilities. But accessibility isn't about disabilities. It never was. This idea that it's a niche concern for a minority of "people with disabilities" is one of the most damaging myths in design history. To be honest, I have no idea if subtitles weren't built for the deaf. But I know it would have taken me longer than it did to learn English. And right now that's how I can listen to the news in Dutch, by following along with the written words. Accessibility is just good design and it shows empathy. You may not be a person with disabilities. You may not have broken your wrist yet and maybe you haven't hit 50 to need glasses. But temporary ability is the default. We just don't like admitting it. |
Ship accessible websites. Faster.
Join fellow like-minded product owners looking to learn and contribute to authentic conversations on accessibility and inclusive design packed into just 5 minutes a day.
I don't think it's ever too late to think about accessibility and improve your product for people who need it. It just gets more expensive the later you do it. If you started thinking about accessibility because you got a complaint or you freaked out because of an audit, you might think, well, it's too late now. I hear you! That's okay. But it's not too late and there's no need to freak out. You're here now. And there's lots you can do to improve your situation. The cost is higher, but you...
I got this question earlier this month. I'm paraphrasing a little bit for clarity, but it goes a bit like this: We think it'd be better to start working with accessibility a bit early in the process next time. Wouldn't that save some work later on? How early is early enough? First off, yeah, it warms my heart when I hear stuff like this coming completely unprompted. So how early is early enough to start thinking about accessibility in the software development lifecyecle (SDLC)? Follow the...
We've covered a lot of ground. Time. Money. Responsibility. Authority. Priorities. Relevance. Six objections, six different ways of saying the same thing. Not yet, not us and certainly not now. I'll be honest with you. I didn't always know how to have these conversations. For a long time I got it wrong. I probably still do a lot of the time and I have to stop myself. I'd walk into a meeting armed with statistics and moral arguments and a genuine belief that if I just explained it clearly...