Embrace necessary discomfort to create more accessible products.
Authentic conversations so far...
This is an archive of the email messages I sent to my daily mailing list since March 12th, 2024. Enjoy!
Accessibility isn't optional or a future priority.
The BS Meetings Signs: No clear decision maker
Jul 31st, 2025
Meetings without a clear decision maker are a waste of time.
The perfect moment to begin
Jul 30th, 2025
It's never too late to start integrating accessibility into your workflow.
Healthcare, WCAG and what actually works
Jul 29th, 2025
Healthcare treats symptoms, WCAG treats compliance gaps. But the good stuff happens upstream.
Invest in slow growth
Jul 28th, 2025
Teams that invest in slowly building accessibility skills end up in a better place than those who try to fix everything at once.
Access Denied #56: Being the first
Jul 27th, 2025
In Issue 56 of Access Denied, Gary thinks being first is everything, even without an accessibility strategy.
The fast and the useless
Jul 26th, 2025
Speed doesn't matter if you don't know where you're going.
Real talk: To be young
Jul 25th, 2025
Stop assuming young users don't need web accessibility.
Accessibility during sprint planning
Jul 24th, 2025
Include accessibility into your existing acceptance criteria to build things right from the start without it feeling like extra work.
The BS Meetings Signs: Mixed audiences
Jul 23rd, 2025
BS meetings where you try to educate everyone about everything in accessibility fail miserably.
Accessibility side effects
Jul 22nd, 2025
Accessibility issues aren't side effects. They are what happens when we ignore knowingly problems.
You don't need a plan to fail at accessibility
Jul 21st, 2025
Small compromises can exclude millions of users without anyone planning to.
Access Denied #55: Consistent accessibility standards
Jul 20th, 2025
In Issue 55 of Access Denied, Gary thinks no progress on accessibility means the team is maintaining a consistent standard.
The right story
Jul 19th, 2025
Our job is to write a story that resonates with others and helps them make better choices for accessibility.
Real talk: Who gets ignored
Jul 18th, 2025
Accessibility isn't about technical complexity or resource allocation. It's who you're willing to exclude.
Accessibility goals that stick
Jul 17th, 2025
Set specific and measurable goals for accessibility and tie them to existing metrics you already track.
BS meetings that monitor activity aren't the same as making progress. Turn check-ins into actual work sessions.
Strategy is the problem
Jul 15th, 2025
Treating accessibility as an afterthought costs you customers.
How to save time and money
Jul 14th, 2025
Building accessibility into your web product from day one saves money, time and creates better experiences for all users.
Access Denied #54: Accessibility plugins
Jul 13th, 2025
In Issue 54 of Access Denied, Gary thinks it's enough to run an accessibility plugin right before launch.
Self-doubt and frustration
Jul 12th, 2025
When web accessibility fails, every small frustration compounds into something much bigger.
Real talk: Ship less broken stuff
Jul 11th, 2025
Stop blaming accessibility for being a speed bump in your agile process.
How fast can we get rid of accessibility debt?
Jul 10th, 2025
Most product teams can make meaningful progress on accessibility debt in 6-12 months.
The BS Meetings Signs: Monologues
Jul 9th, 2025
BS meetings always have the one manager who's all theory and zero accessibility practice.
You have to do the work
Jul 8th, 2025
The only way to learn accessibility is to do the work and build it in your development process.
The rules that deceive us
Jul 7th, 2025
The 5 hidden rules product owners use to avoid making their products accessible, and what they're really costing you.
Access Denied #53: Naturally semantic
Jul 6th, 2025
In Issue 53 of Access Denied, Gary thinks that AI writes semantic code.
Changing diapers
Jul 5th, 2025
Writing semantic HTML is something you do automatically without really thinking about it.
Real talk: Accessibility backlog
Jul 4th, 2025
If you're constantly putting accessibility in the backlog, you'll end up with mountain of technical debt.
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I send out short emails like these 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.