Funny things I saw in codebases.
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 #88: ARIA stuff
Yesterday
In Issue 88 of Access Denied, Gary thinks accessibility is all about adding ARIA.
Dressed for the role
Mar 7th, 2026
The label is never the thing itself.
The backlog isn't a requirement
Mar 6th, 2026
Your accessibility backlog might be doing more harm than good.
One more approach for effective accessibility
Mar 5th, 2026
Making and keeping promises to your team and customers is the most important step you're missing.
Practical approaches for effective accessibility
Mar 4th, 2026
Practical approaches for product owners to make accessibility a quality standard.
Stop prioritising accessibility
Mar 3rd, 2026
Make accessibility a part of your acceptance criteria so it stops competing with features.
Your accessibility priorities are lying to you
Mar 2nd, 2026
Rating accessibility issues 1–5 feels productive. It isn't.
Access Denied #87: Not my bug
Mar 1st, 2026
In Access Denied #87, accessibility issues bounce around until they reach the backlog.
Accessibility prioritisation is always a right-now decision.
Nobody owns the entire sandwich
Feb 27th, 2026
If nobody on your team sees the whole experience, nobody can improve it.
Accessibility isn't a single department
Feb 26th, 2026
Accessibility is a shared language, not a single department.
Running audits
Feb 25th, 2026
You can't ship accessible products by running more audits.
No cake. Just this.
Feb 24th, 2026
Today's my birthday. Do this one small thing. That's all I'm asking.
Accessibility doesn't sell - continued
Feb 23rd, 2026
You got the quick win approved. Here's how to not screw it up.
Access Denied #86: Core values
Feb 22nd, 2026
In Issue 86 of Access Denied, Gary thinks the accessibility statement makes accessibility a priority.
Accessibility doesn't sell
Feb 21st, 2026
You're selling the system around accessibility. They're just thinking about Friday.
Control your inputs
Feb 20th, 2026
Focus on the inputs you control and the outputs will follow.
Triage means being honest
Feb 19th, 2026
Rules for triaging accessibility requests honestly.
How to triage
Feb 18th, 2026
How to build a system that's honest about what gets done and what doesn't.
If later really means never
Feb 17th, 2026
Here's how to be honest when you're really not going to work on accessibility.
What later means
Feb 16th, 2026
Triage in accessibility means prioritisation and a commitment to fix everything.
Access Denied #85: Low priority issues
Feb 15th, 2026
In Issue 85 of Access Denied, Gary confuses low priority with never.
The ER triage approach to accessibility
Feb 14th, 2026
Accessibility should work like an ER, where triage saves lives by prioritising urgent cases first.
Why accessibility feels like friction (and why it's not)
Feb 13th, 2026
Accessibility feels like friction when you're adding it at the end of the process.
Justifying celebration when you have OKRs to hit
Feb 12th, 2026
Accessibility directly impacts OKRs and it's worth celebrating.
Meaningful change in accessibility doesn't need to block ongoing work.
Meaningful change, continued
Feb 10th, 2026
You can't force accessibility into a team's workflow.
Making meaningful change
Feb 9th, 2026
Sweeping changes fail and specific ones stick.
Access Denied #84: Standards
Feb 8th, 2026
In Issue 84 of Access Denied, Gary thinks being industry average is acceptable.
Ready to subscribe?
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.