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Accessibility is risky

2 minutes read

If something might not work and it has too many unknowns, then we consider it risky. If there are no guarantees, we find reasons not to do it.

We'd rather do things the way we've always done them, even if it means ignoring the better way to do them. Often times, it means postponing the risky thing and waiting until later. Wait to see what others are doing, what happens and how risky it actually is.

Doing things differently is risky. Doing different things is risky. Change is risky.

I'm an accessibility consultant. Am I in a risky business?

Yes, but only if you look at it from the outside in.

From where I'm standing, I know this is the right business to be in. Because the world we live in needs more people to take risks. When too many people with disabilities struggle to use your website, you should take the risk and start doing things differently.

Making sure people who are blind, have low vision, are colorblind or have motor impairments can use your website also makes it easier for everyone else to use.

You may think accessibility is hard and costly. The truth is, it's often simple because accessibility just means good design.

Improving accessibility takes effort. It's not easy and you won't get it done in one sprint. It carries risk.

But doesn't all profit come from risk?

Did you enjoy this bite-sized message?

I send out short emails like this every day to help you gain a fresh perspective on accessibility and understand it without the jargon, so you can build more robust products that everyone can use, including people with disabilities.

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