Accessibility improves when teams have clear defaults that make the right choice easier during everyday product work.
Authentic conversations so far...
This is an archive of the email messages I sent to my daily mailing list since March 12th, 2024. Enjoy!
Access Denied #108: Moving fast
Yesterday
In Issue 108 of Access Denied, Gary moves fast and thinks that justifies ignoring accessibility.
Find the leverage points
Jul 25th, 2026
Accessibility gets easier when teams focus on repeat problems and shared decisions instead of trying to fix every issue one by one.
Fix your habits, not just the issues
Jul 24th, 2026
Accessibility problems often point to deeper product delivery habits, like unclear ownership, late checks and weak definitions of done.
Put accessibility closer to where work happens
Jul 23rd, 2026
Accessibility improves when you build it into existing product process.
Accessibility is a delivery problem
Jul 22nd, 2026
Accessibility problems often reveal delivery problems.
The wrong AI question
Jul 21st, 2026
AI can help with accessibility work. It can't take responsibility for it.
Everyone's responsibility still needs an owner
Jul 20th, 2026
Accessibility is everyone's responsibility, but the decisions still need a person resposible.
Access Denied #107: Accessibility awareness
Jul 19th, 2026
In Issue 107 of Access Denied, Gary misreads that accessibility is ongoing and decides not to ship anything.
Short practical answers to common questions about leading accessibility work.
Out of scope doesn't mean ignored
Jul 17th, 2026
Say what you're doing first, then explain what moves later and why.
Unknown scope still needs a date
Jul 16th, 2026
A target date is risky only when teams treat it like a promise instead of a tool for making tradeoffs.
Stop running awareness campaigns
Jul 15th, 2026
Accessibility work needs outcomes, dates, scope and demos. Awareness does not replace delivery.
You're not Napoleon
Jul 14th, 2026
Why accessibility work gets damaged when teams call it minor.
Accessibility needs judgment, not just answers
Jul 13th, 2026
AI can help teams learn accessibility faster, but it becomes risky when nobody knows enough to question its answers.
Access Denied #106: Stop rushing the process
Jul 12th, 2026
In Issue 105 of Access Denied, Gary discovers one more step before fixing accessibility.
What's not on the roadmap
Jul 11th, 2026
Your backlog is full of new features but empty of accessibility fixes.
How AI can help with accessibility
Jul 10th, 2026
AI should not give accessibility a single score. It should help teams find risk, sort issues and decide what needs human review.
What the scores hide
Jul 9th, 2026
A single accessibility score feels useful, but it can hide the failures that block real people.
AI fixes must actually work
Jul 8th, 2026
AI accessibility audits are useful only when their suggested fixes work in the product, for real users.
What makes an AI audit useful
Jul 7th, 2026
AI can help with accessibility audits, but issue counts are weak metrics.
Forget clever
Jul 6th, 2026
AI can help make product language clearer today, starting with error messages, forms and legal copy.
Access Denied #105: Bringing down the energy
Jul 5th, 2026
In Issue 105 of Access Denied, Gary uses AI to write about inclusion instead of fixing accessibility issues.
Boring ships
Jul 4th, 2026
Accessibility needs boring, repeatable help. AI craves applause.
AI is not your teammate
Jul 3rd, 2026
AI can help with accessibility work, but it cannot own decisions, judgment or user impact.
The tool is not the work
Jul 2nd, 2026
AI can find some accessibility issues, but it cannot replace human judgment, testing or disabled users.
AI won't fix accessibility
Jul 1st, 2026
Fixing accessibility has always been slow and expensive. AI is changing that equation, but only if someone decides to prioritise it.
Letter to my son
Jun 30th, 2026
Happy birthday to my son. One year old today!
We have AI and we're using it to sound important
Jun 29th, 2026
Every company is doing something with AI, but most can't tell you what.
Access Denied #104: The innovation team
Jun 28th, 2026
In Issue 104 of Access Denied, Gary thinks innovation needs more budget than accessibility.
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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.